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A woman holds a poster during the Venezuela Aid Live concert this Friday at the Tienditas border bridge in Cúcuta (Colombia). EFE/Mauricio Dueñas Castañeda
A woman holds a poster during the Venezuela Aid Live concert this Friday at the Tienditas border bridge in Cúcuta, Colombia. Photo: EFE/Mauricio Dueñas Castañeda.

Music for Venezuela: a cry for help and freedom on the border

On Friday, 30 well-known Latino artists arrived at the Colombian-Venezuelan border to join the humanitarian aid initiative for Venezuela.

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For weeks, the political situation in Venezuela has taken unpredictable twists and turns.

On Jan. 23, the President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, was sworn in as interim president of the nation after ignoring the elections carried out by Nicolás Maduro, which were deemed fraudulent by the international community.

Since then, Guaidó has become the symbol of the Venezuelan transition process, from an authoritarian regime to a new democratic project.

Thanks to international recognition of the new leadership, the National Assembly and opposition political leaders in Venezuela have dedicated the last few days to trying to get the necessary humanitarian aid to the country to address the serious social crisis that Venezuelans are experiencing, considered one of the worst in the history of Latin America.

Since 2007, and continuing today, under the mandate of the late President Hugo Chávez Frías, Venezuela has experienced the destruction of its production system, the disappearance of its economic structure, and the resulting shortage of basic products such as food, medicine and services.

Despite the aid the United Nations has sent the country, the embezzlement of funds carried out by the Maduro regime perpetuated the grim realities in the country, all the while strongly denying the existence of any crisis.

Which is why, once sworn in, Guaidó proceeded to coordinate the arrival of tons of humanitarian aid through the border with Colombia.

Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson also directed his attention Venezuela's way, organizing a concert inspired by international events such as Live Aid, for which he called on more than 30 Latin American artists to raise funds for the country in need.

Still, Maduro remains able to rely on the support of his armed forces, as he has denied the entry of any attempt of humanitarian aid to the country, arguing that it is "interventionism" sponsored by the United States.

The city of Cúcuta, which sits along the Venezuela-Colombia border and has witnessed the displacement of millions of Venezuelans, has become the main point of encounter between a majority that supports the interim president, and those who stand with an embattled regime, which has blocked the main roadways, refusing to give way.

Branson said that Guaidó would cross the route accompanied by delegates of the National Assembly as a symbol of the country's definitive opening, and musical icons such as Alejandro Sanz, Carlos Vives, Juan Luis Guerra, Maluma, and Juanes invite the international community to donate money for the country.

For more information about the event, visit: https://venezuelaaidlive.com/

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