The fallen metropolis: the collapse of Caracas, the jewel of Latin America

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

The fallen metropolis: the collapse of Caracas, the jewel of Latin America

Once a thriving, glamorous city, Venezuela’s capital is buckling under hyperinflation, crime and poverty

Tom Phillips in Caracas
Tue 18 Dec 2018 07.30 GMT

A portrait of Hugo Chávez and a Bolivarian battle cry greet visitors to the Boyacá viewpoint in the mountains north of Caracas. “It is our duty to find one thousand ways and more to give the people the life that they need!”

But as Venezuela buckles, Chávez’s pledge sounds increasingly hollow. Vandals have splashed paint into the comandante’s face and beneath him Venezuela’s capital is dying.

“A ghost town,” laments Omar Lugo, director of news website El Estímulo, during a night-time driving tour of a once-buzzing metropolis being eviscerated by the country’s collapse. “It pains me so much to see Caracas like this.”

A generation ago, Venezuela’s capital was one of Latin America’s most thriving, glamorous cities; an oil-fuelled, tree-lined cauldron of culture that guidebooks hailed as a mecca for foodies, night owls and art fans.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/dec/18/the-fallen-metropolis-the-collapse-of-caracas-the-jewel-of-latin-america

[GatoGordo]

1. The level of despair under Chavismo has reached a breaking point

NOBODY except the well armed "colectivos" (Chavista henchmen) or malandros go out after the sun goes down.

I remember not long after getting married, my Venezuelan bride and I would party until dawn in the downtown nightclubs. Like every big city, there were areas you avoided at night. But even in the barrios of east Caracas, people felt safe during the day.

Now, there isn't an area that's safe anytime of the day or night. And when the sun goes down? People literally turn off the lights and barricade the doors. It is dangerous to be in your domicile. You risk your life going out at night.