Venezuelan Artists Stage Peaceful Protests Against Maduro

In Caracas, Venezuelan artists organized a massive happening involving poetry declamation, painting, and poster-making as a peaceful protest against President Nicolás Maduro's authoritarian turn. After two months of clashes that left 73 civilians dead, the cultural sector proposed a new strategy: spontaneous demonstrations, happenings, and flash mobs aimed at both the government and protesters. Designer Teresa Mulet told Reuters they want to provide a non-violent tool through art. In Barinas, an anonymous painter depicted a pregnant woman wearing a gas mask to honor the new generation of young protesters. Painter Oscar Olivares, after his friend Juan Pernalete was killed by police, includes victims' faces in his religious-themed paintings, elevating fallen protesters to martyr status. A flash mob led by Mulet in Caracas spelled out a Venezuelan poem: 'Those who kill have not really lived.' These actions aim to raise civil consciousness and discourage open confrontation. The article argues that this represents the return of the intellectual and artist as societal guides, using culture for emancipation. It notes that no solidarity gestures have come from the wealthy West for these artists.