The real spirit of Celac is on the streets of Venezuela

[Judi Lynn]

The real spirit of Celac is on the streets of Venezuela
The youth of Caracas see the convening of 33 presidents of the Americas as much more than a bunch of politicians talking
Jody McIntyre guardian.co.uk, Friday 9 December 2011 12.02 EST

When Eduardo Galeano wrote the Open Veins of Latin America four decades ago, he wrote of a continent mired in oppression and of a political, economic and social process that excluded the majority of its citizens. Today, something very different is taking place. Over the weekend, Venezuela played host to 33 presidents – indeed, the entire continent of the Americas, except the US and Canada, were invited to the first ever conference of Celac, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

On the streets of Caracas, the establishment of Celac meant much more than a rendezvous of leading politicians. Photo exhibitions displayed on central avenues in the preceding days expressed solidarity with the people of Cuba, Libya and Iraq, the workers movement in Argentina, the Palestinian people, and the Occupy Wall Street movement in the US. Films including The Road to Guantánamo were shown free at open-air theatres. The youth of Venezuela saw the convening of Celac as much as a part of their own future as that of their political leaders; as the conference moved into its second day the Hip-Hop Revolucion collective, which brings together like-minded young people from across the country, put on a show at the Plaza de los Museos, just across the road from where the presidents were meeting.

"We see the Celac as the most important development in the last 200 years," says Jamil, a member of Hip-Hop Revolucion, and one of the organisers of the concert. The Venezuelan government provided support in the form of a huge stage and state-of-the-art equipment in the plaza, but HHR are keen to maintain political independence. "We respect Chávez, because he understands our struggle, but we are always looking to be self-critical in order to keep our revolution moving in the right direction."

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/dec/09/celac-spirit-streets-venezuela

[Peace Patriot]

1. Imagine a group of politicians uniting to improve social justice and democracy.

It's hard to imagine it here.

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"The youth of Caracas see the convening of 33 presidents of the Americas as much more than a bunch of politicians talking." --from the OP