Mariana is 27 years old and three children who, the day before, had dinner from a piece of bread. "I want them to remember, so I show them the pictures before, when I took them out to McDonalds on Sunday ", says the young woman, who did not wish to give her name, like other interviewees.
Before, it was five years ago, before Nicolas Maduro came to power and the collapse of oil prices. Mariana then earned the minimum wage, ate enough and could buy " lots of things ". "We were rich and we didn't know it" : the phrase often comes up in the words of Venezuelans. In mid-October, the minimum wage, which includes a "Food stamp", went from 65,000 to 300,000 bolivars. At the exchange rate of December 25, this is 6 euros.
Mariana, who lost her job three years ago, lives with her mother an hour from Caracas, in a housing estate built by the Bolivarian Revolution. "The government gave her an apartment, she will remain chavist until her death, says she. I also have friends who continue to support the government. They think that if the opposition returns to power, they will have to pay for water, electricity, school and that they will lose their "CLAP" fund. " These are cardboard boxes marked with the acronym of local procurement committees (CLAP) distributed every month or every two months, depending on the neighborhood. Only the holders of the “fatherland book”, a register set up by the government, benefit from it. These boxes contain rice, corn flour, powdered milk, sometimes red beans or a can of tuna. "Not enough to last a week", sums up Mariana.
"Daily life has become very difficult", admits Carlos, who is on duty, under a red tent of the United Socialist Party in the center of Caracas. "The infamous American sanctions decreed by Washington against Venezuela to overcome Nicolas Maduro are not solely responsible for the current crisis. The government has made mistakes that must be corrected ", He continues. Like everyone else, he lost weight.
"There is everything, but you can't buy anything"
Saturdays in Caracas took on the appearance of August in Paris, sadness in addition. In shopping centers, the center of Latin American family life, a good third of the stores are closed. The metro, which has long been the pride of Caracas and the envy of all Latin American capitals, has suffered numerous breakdowns; the turnstiles are unlocked, "Because tickets are too expensive to print", explains a user. Street vendors invaded the docks.
