This time I had a abrupt replacement, not as before in Australia, but close – in the Caribbean. A Venezuelan band working on 1 of the large cruise ships was without a pianist due to the fact that their boss - the best Venezuelan jazz pianist - got a occupation in the US and left musicians on the ice, with whom he worked long and even recorded records. It was not very elegant, but colleagues accepted the situation with understanding, yet specified an chance – legal work in the US, may not happen again.
Venezuelans differed from another Caribbean colleagues, always cheerful, cheerful and happy with their lives. My musicians were plagued by the situation in the country. They said they had no prospects for a decent life, due to the fact that there is any destiny over their possibly very rich country. There are no shortages of wealthy people in Venezuela, but the ruling red bourgeoisie brings musicians from Jamaica to its parties, or from America disdaining local musicians.
A tourist boat boom has bypassed Venezuela, although dozens of cruisers traverse all corners of the Caribbean all day. By the end of the millennium, occasionally a ship docked in Puerto de La Guaira, from where a $50 taxi could be reached to Caracas and see the bars in the windows to the 8th floor. Tourism requires security, and as the standard of surviving deteriorated, banditism spread.
During the "economic wonder" of Venezuela in the 1970s, my colleague became a concertmaster of the symphony orchestra in Maracaibo – the center of the country's oil industry. He went on a contract with his wife and small kid. My friend was very busy with rehearsals and concerts. The wife was bored at home until she met a wealthy Polish entrepreneur – more attractive than the violin husband. That's why she took the baby and moved to a businessman with an awesome million dollars (he was going to make another million and return to Poland). The colleague finished his contract and returned to the country alone, and the ex-wife generously resigned from alimony. The violin then became concertmaster in Cairo and here I learned about this story.
In the 1990s, having a fresh household and working at the National Philharmonic, he had already invited an adult Venezuelan boy to Warsaw, due to the fact that after the financial collapse of Venezuela, his stepfather lost all his assets and their household was simply poor. Unemployment and the standard of surviving (poor) in both countries was comparable and the boy did not decide to stay in Poland.
The musician kept in regular contact with his boy and ex - wife, and from their relation a image of a country increasingly falling into chaos and absurdity emerged. The progressive erosion of democracy was the consequence of the actions of Cuban experts organizing in Venezuela the "bolivarian revolution", that is, simply communism in the russian version. To avoid creating (bad) associations with Cuba, the words about communism were carefully avoided. American oil installations were nationalised without compensation to "give the Venezuelan people income alternatively of the American imperialists", which was met with the enthusiasm of a large condition of society.
After any time, unconserved refineries stopped operating, so they introduced cards on imported (!) gasoline. The population adapted to fresh situations skillfully avoiding the hazard of being robbed. You can't leave home with a watch, bracelet, ringing or earrings. It is best to have a tiny sum on them to give it back to the bad guys in case of trouble. erstwhile a friend of mine, talking to an ex-wife, heard he had to finish, due to the fact that she's in line for bread, and she's just coming to the counter...
The household has no chance to evacuate to Poland, as the prices of air tickets are absolutely out of their reach.
Venezuela is simply a large country (three times the size of Poland), highly rich in natural materials. There are the Amazon jungle, beautiful tropical beaches, the highest peaks of the Andes (almost 5,000 metres), the largest lake of the continent and the second longest river of Orinoko. And well educated people (beautiful women!). It was only late the richest Latin American country with a unchangeable democracy. How is it that present the people of this country belong to the poorest (beside Haiti) on earth and are oppressed by political police and common bandits?
After mastering Cuba, the Soviets organized a large center of human resources training on the island, whose task was to spread the "revolution" to all Latin American countries. 1 of the graduates of the Cuban "school" was the creator of the "bolivarian revolution" in Venezuela – Hugo Chavez.
Founded under Havana by the KGB a center generating communist agitators and future "watermen of revolution", has awesome achievements – South America has long since ceased to be a farm of the United States, as in 34 countries of the region, 26 are countries friends with the erstwhile USSR and its successor...
The sad destiny of Venezuela is simply a memento for us. We request to realise that prosperity and democratic freedoms are not given to us forever and can turn unnoticed into misery and terror.