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Activist tells of Venezuelan strife
 Media Credit: Amanda Degen Gary Payne speaks to the students about the United States� involvement in Venezuela on Thursday night. Payne is a sociologist and human rights activist.
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Sociologist and human rights activist Gary Payne gave a slide presentation Thursday night about Venezuela and the United States' involvement in Venezuela's political turmoil.
It was through People United for Peace that Payne came to SCSU.
After a brief introduction, Payne delved into the slide show, which began with photos from his travels in Venezuela with his son, Sader. Showing photos from the missions and small villages he visited, he talked about the history of Venezuela and how western culture has affected the Venezuelan way of life.
"I want to show you some of the beauty of Venezuela and some of the people, because I want you to know what's at stake there. Democracy is kind-of an abstract concept and people losing it doesn't matter if you don't understand who these people are," Payne said.
In all of the villages he visited, Payne and his son were welcomed warmly and treated with respect, even in some areas where travelers were few. One example of a sparsely populated place Payne and his son visited was a remote native village. There they spent time with the chief and local inhabitants who rarely encounter caucasian travelers.
Although the people of Venezuela are very poor, the country itself is rich in oil. Sixty-five to 100 million barrels worth of oil lie beneath the ground and are refined and processed by large American oil refineries. Payne spoke of this as his photos ventured towards politics.
He then discussed how in 1959 Venezuela was one of the first South American countries to become democratic. Hugo Chavez, the current leader of Venezuela, was elected in 1999. Recently, the U.S. supported what became a failed attempt to overthrow President Chavez.
According to Payne, the U.S. has had serious issues with Chavez because he wanted his government to sit on the boards of the large oil companies so the government could no longer be robbed by big business. He also met with Fidel Castro, an enemy of the U.S. who Payne supported some of Castro's actions. Using a chart, Payne illustrated Cuba's economic progress and explained why Chavez may have taken an interest in it.
He then discussed how on Venezuelan television, a military general appeared and announced that Chavez had resigned from his presidential post, leaving the country leaderless. The next day Pedro Carmono swore himself in as the new president. Most Venezuelans did not know who Carmono was, but that he talked with the Bush administration and was an ally of the U.S. Carmono then proceeded to get rid of the other two branches of government, the legislative and judicialbranches.
Although the Bush Administration supported the new government, the Venezuelan people did not. In Caracas, the country's capital, millions of people filled the streets and demanded their former president be reinstated. Although the military attempted to stop this overtaking by shooting some civilians, people continued to join together.
The government was forced to bring Chavez back and he was re-sworn in as president of Venezuela. Since then, Caracas citizens have kept tabs on the government to ensure President Chavez is not overthrown again.
Although the press does not support Chavez, Payne claims this is because the wealthy own the press is therefore not trustworthy. Payne also showed slides of what he called the 'press of the poor,' or graffiti. The graffiti proclaimed support of Chavez and hopes to stop any further coups.
Payne's numerous slides also displayed many of the people he talked to in the town square. According to Payne, they were very kind. To keep morale high while threats of shootings continued to circulate, they performed many street dances and skits.
Since Chavez's reinstatement, Venezuela's economy has been struggling and many people are losing hope. Payne called for education and support.
"We are running backwards and moving towards barbarism, and the worst form of exploitation," Payne said.
Although he claims his knowledge of Venezuela is still only limited to his travels and what he has gathered from the news, Payne impressed the small audience with his first-hand knowledge of Venezuela and it's people.
"It was awesome to see someone who had first hand experience, and knew what he was talking about," said senior Jesse Cleben.
"It is important that we see that the U.S. is tied to this," said Heather Ebnet, a member of People United for Peace. "I feel like I need to be doing something about these issues, even more so now. Providing speakers like this is a way for people who don't have the time and money to visually 'see' Venezuela, rather than through television."
People United for Peace meets Thursdays at 11 a.m. in Business Building room 216 and are next promoting a teach-in Tuesday at the Atwood Little Theatre about more U.S. involvement in international affairs.
For more information on the speakers and presentations, e-mail People United for Peace at [email protected].
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