April 8, 2014
In-Depth, The Hoofbeat
In-Depth, The Hoofbeat
Venezuela is separated in the midst of a revolution, with violence and protests scattered across multiple cities. The country is at a shortage for basic commodities such as milk, oil, and even toilet paper.
In such an overwhelming situation, providing help feels like an obligatory yet impossible task. Doing anything to make a difference may seem out of reach. Still, junior Luis Ramirez is determined to help the cause in Venezuela. “Any effort towards anything would help right now. The situation is so bad, like you could not imagine four days without toilet paper, could you? So I think the only way to help is by teaching people what is actually going on,” Ramirez said. Ramirez, along with his family, is originally from Venezuela and is still in contact with his extended family currently living in Venezuela, witnessing the revolution. Ramirez plans on informing people in Omaha about crises through an original documentary based on Omaha Venezuelans’ efforts to help the global effort towards supporting Venezuela. “My documentary started about two months ago as just me with a camera trying to make an informational video for people to know what’s going on, but then I realized it was bigger than that,” Ramirez said. Ramirez explains how people are so wrapped up and isolated within their own world, that they do not pay attention to what is happening on the outside. “In a western society like Omaha, I want people to know that there is more going on than just in our bubble. People who do not watch the news and do not know what is going on around the world, in Ukraine and Syria, I want to be an example to those people that they need to know what is happening,” Ramirez said. After the death of human rights advocate and former president Hugo Chavez, protests and demonstrations broke out against current President, Nicolas Maduro. Protesters are angry about police suppression, the country’s soaring inflation rate, corruption, and multiple human rights violations. Spanish teacher Theresa Jensen is close to the crises as well. “When anyone is denied their basic human rights, it cuts me to the core. What really concerns me is the level of uncontrolled violence. Last year, Venezuelans were murdered at a rate of 79 per 100,000, which is almost 25,000 just last year. These figures are provided from an NGO who gathered all the reports of homicides because the Venezuelan government has hidden the true figures and released false ones,” Jensen said. As the situation in Venezuela deteriorates, the death toll and oppression rate rises. More opposition leaders are getting kicked out of the government and thrown into jail. A national-guard soldier and a pregnant women were killed in the latest protest. This is calling global attention. “I am so amazed at how many people are rallying from around the world. There are huge rallies in countries I never would have dreamed, like Tanzania, Malaysia, Israel, Afghanistan, Poland, Albania and the Philippines,” Jensen said. Although there has been an stirring amount of support, a large portion of students locally are oblivious to what is actually happening around the world. “The biggest thing we can do in the states to help the situation get informed and know what’s going on in the world. The problem is not knowing,” Ramirez said. Along with his documentary, Ramirez is an active part of the Omaha Latino Community that organizes events across the Omaha Metro area to spread awareness. “We organized a movement that’s known worldwide as SOS Venezuela. People stand in a human SOS signal in public, protesting,” Ramirez said. On Feb. 23, protesters poured into the Border’s parking lot to participate in the global SOS Venezuela movement, along with a plethora of support from MN students, including junior Bethany Jana. “The demonstration was basically trying to bring awareness to the situation. I held up signs and we had flags so people driving by could see what we’re doing,” Jana said. Support for Venezuela was vividly publicized online as well. The night before the movement, a wave of supporters posted pictures on twitter titled ‘I am Venezuela’, written in their native languages, along with the hashtag '#SOSVenezuela". “This was an idea I had while I was preparing for the SOS Venezuela event. I made a sign that said ‘I am Luis Ramirez and I am Venezuela,’ written all in Spanish. I wanted to show that it doesn’t matter where you are from. SOS Venezuela is global. You don not have to be from this particular place to feel something for other people,” Ramirez said. Junior Jenny Libov saw the post on twitter and tweeted ‘I am Venezuela' in Russian, her nationality's language, along with a picture of her 'I am Venezuela' sign. She says, "I wanted to support Luis and what was going on to help spread awareness about the situation." ‘I am Venezuela’ grew increasingly popular on twitter until multiple students had joined the movement and shown their support by posting tweets along with there ‘I am Venezuela’ signs. “I honestly didn’t expect it to get that far, but it did, and I was really excited when I saw the result. I think that my aim my goal was very much achieved. There is not much we can do, but we can’t just do nothing. Be aware of what is going on in the world. If you believe in something, keep going until it changes. It is one of the biggest things anybody can do,” Ramirez said. As Ramirez continues to develop his documentary, he hopes to encourage and inspire more individuals to be informed and involved in issues around the globe. Though many have felt divided because of this revolution, the rest of the world hopes to promote unity by standing with Venezuela. |