February 16, 2005 -- The last several days have been magical as always here in lovely Venezuela. We, several poets and journalists compartimos (shared) together for two days, day and night, till the wee hours.

I asked the question, But who are the poets?

One man answered, All revolutionaries are poets and all poets are revolutionaries ... because they know and understand the basics ... the human condition, human dignity and the fact that we must respect our planet ... that we must live in harmony.

This man spoke of oil, economics, Islamic traditions (which few non-Muslims know about), politics, revolution, the arts ... about anything ... about everything ... but mostly about the need to respect humanity ... and about the fact that there exists an underlying mystical and magical quiet revolution ... not only in Venezuela but throughout the entire world El Pueblo (the people).

Note: El Pueblo refers to the 80% ... the 80% who are poor and who have traditionally had little or no access to health care, education and other essential services ... the 80% who have traditionally been abused and oppressed ... whose dignity was taken away by the 20% wealthy Latin American ruling classes and their northern collaborators and exploiters.

Changes are in process, and growing by the minute, gathering steam from all directions ... seen and felt by those who understand humanity and respect our earth ... yet unseen by those who abuse, oppress and disrespect ... by those who lie and cheat and deceive and distort. It is better that it be kept as such ... at least for the time being. The abusers should not know what is really going on ... until it truth hits the fan. This is part of he often-unseen magic of Venezuela.

We were sitting at a Chinese restaurant, drinking Polar beer and smoking cigarettes ... speaking with local Venezuelan activists ... when all of a sudden a young girl (21 years old) came to sit at our table ... temporarily leaving behind her three male friends. She spoke English ... and spoke it very well. She asked us if we were revolutionaries and then she proceeded to speak her mind, against the abuses of the USA, against their lies. She spoke of her respect and admiration for Chavez ... about her commitment to the revolution, about human dignity and the need for respect, honesty and constancy ... about sovereignty. She banged her fist on the table ... several times ... many times. She is only 21 years old. Another magical moment in Venezuela.

We are living history here ... the only country in the world where the quiet revolution is in full march ... where one can feel it in the air ... where one can sense it in the excitement of people's voices.

We are living this in Venezuela every second of every day. People walk the streets proudly with T-shirts saying Mision Ribas or Mision Robinson or Mision Vuelvan Caras or Mision Sucre or Mision Barrio Adentro or Mision Mercal.

The Misiones are missions which the Chavez government started in order to bring education, health care and low-cost food into the barrios (slum areas) and rural areas where about 80% of the Venezuelan population lives. Every one of these Missions is a great and wonderful success ... and it is easily verifiable ... and every Mission is growing steadily and spreading throughout the entire country ... yet the Missions remain almost invisible to many of the recalcitrant 20% wealthy Venezuelans who continue to wish that Chavez dissappear from the face of the earth.

I have been told that an anti-Chavez polling company recently published (surprisingly) their findings ... that Chavez has at least 65% support. My perception, and the perception of several other international journalists who are in Venezuela at this time is that Chavez has between 70-75% support.

According to local pro-Chavez activists the support is about 75%.

Additionally, it is also a verifiable fact that more and more people (including members of the wealthy middle-class) who were originally anti-Chavez, are now pro-Chavez.

Another surprising fact is that the host of Alo Ciudadano (a rabid anti-Chavez television commentary program) openly agreed with a guest speaker that it is the first time in Venezuelan history that we observe such a massive and widespread production of books written by Venezuelans, theater works produced by Venezuelans, music, dance, television shows, etc. He reiterated that such a high level of cultural production has never been seen before here in Venezuela ... but of course, he did not mention that it is because of the Bolivarian Revolution (which puts strong emphasis on self-determination and cultural freedom of expression, cultural identity and productivity).

I smiled on my recent trip from San Cristobal (south western Venezuela, along the Colombian border) to Valencia (central Venezuela, about two hours from Caracas). My heart felt what it had felt the first time I lived in Venezuela in the 1970s ... before the invasion of US-based music, US culture and US-produced violence on television ... when Venezuelan culture seeped through every seam of Venezuelan life ... musica llanera, horopo, tambores, merengue ... and more.

Three years ago, and even last year, as I traveled the country, I heard a lot of gringo (USA) music being played on buses, taxis, in the streets and in restaurants and stores ... violent music ... rap and the like. But now that the cultural revolution is in full swing ... Venezuelans throughout the country are going back to their roots. In the last two months, I have only heard rap music (or other US-based music) on one occasion on the buses. The rest of the time I have heard traditional and new Venezuelan music and other Latin American music ... much of it having something to do with speaking out against injustices ... for example, the music of Ali Primera ... and people on the bus singing along with pride.

I smile loudly ... and I am glad.

And ... as far as I can see, this is a direct result of the fact that Chavez has awakened a sense of dignity in El Pueblo, a return to basic human values and Venezuelan culture. Venezuelans no longer have to feel smaller than the USA or less important than a gringo. We do not want to lose our roots and our culture ... we do not want be like the USA ... we do not want to inherit their values, values which have only led to destruction, conquest, violence, invasion, murder and baby-killing ... and drug addiction and obesity and egoism and materialism.

Venezuela will not lose its culture ... a culture which was in the process of being lost because previous governments encouraged the assimilation of US culture.

If the US-backed gangster Carmona had retained power in 2002, I can imagine that he may have prohibited the production of Venezuelan music as a method of censorship and control ... to keep El Pueblo quiet. Being the heartless psychopath and traitor that he is, would he have perhaps gone as far as to prohibit the playing of any Venezuelan music?

Furthermore, if they had remained in power they would have finished off with the rest of what was left of Venezuela by selling it to the devil for a few dollars.

(Note: Carmona was the US-puppet president for two days during the US-financed April 2002 coup against Chavez. Carmona and his gang of criminals were unable to remain in power because El Pueblo, thousands upon thousands, came down from the hills and physically forced the coupsters out of the presidential complex.)

The magic of Venezuela has returned ... and it is evident ... almost everywhere ... I smile again.

Oscar Heck

oscar@vheadline.com