La Semana

A DECADE UNDER MADURO, MIGRATION MARKS VENEZUELAN­S' LIVES

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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Few Venezuelan­s have not had their lives touched by migration over the last decade, when more than 7 million people left the country amid a political, economic and humanitari­an crisis that has lasted the entirety of President Nicolás Maduro’s government.

In the 10 years since Venezuelan­s learned on March 5, 2013, that polarizing President Hugo Chávez was dead and his chosen successor, Maduro, would take over, a drop in oil prices coupled with government mismanagem­ent have sunk the country into an economic tailspin, pushing many people into poverty, hunger, poor health, crime and desperatio­n.

As people continue to migrate, mostly to elsewhere in Latin America, there’s an increasing divide between “los que se quedaron” and “los que se fueron,” those who stayed and those who left.

The split has political implicatio­ns. Opponents of Maduro’s government frequently talk about the diaspora — their preferred term for migrants — and the reasons that drove them to leave, while the president and his allies like to highlight the entreprene­urial spirit of people who remain.

There are also social consequenc­es. People long for weekend or evening gatherings around a grill with loved ones who are now far-flung, or lament missed birthdays, graduation­s and funerals.

THOSE WHO STAYED

José Francisco Rodríguez has been a cobbler for 46 years in the capital, Caracas, doing everything from repairing oil workers' boots to adding lifts to sneakers to covering bridal shoes with delicate fabric.

Unlike other businesses, customers have kept going to his shop throughout the crisis as prices soar for all manner of goods.

“With the situation right now, buying a new shoe is a little more difficult for people,” said Rodríguez, 71. “So, people prefer to get them repaired.”

Rodríguez said he has “faith in Venezuela” and would never leave, a decision he acknowledg­ed he can make because he owns a well-establishe­d business. He has high hopes for the country’s future but admitted they depend on a rebound in oil production and the return of foreign energy companies.

One of his daughters does not share his optimism and moved to Chile with her two daughters in 2018. He misses them, but the remittance­s she sends home proved crucial when he got COVID-19 and racked up medical bills of at least $3,000 — roughly 50 times the annual minimum wage. BY AP

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