Chavecito’s in Brazil right now for the Mercosur summit, reaping the praises of his friends there as he urges a break away from the Washington consensus. Looks like he, Evo and Lula had some fun with the samba, too.
Chavecito and Evo were also on hand in Ecuador this past week for the swearing-in of their amigo, the newly elected Rafael Correa (centre, also with thumb up–although if you wanna know what gets my thumbs-up, it’s Correa’s cool shirt!)
It’s doubtful whether Washington will give such rave reviews to what’s been going on at either event lately, though, as a sharp turn toward solidarity is on the agenda. But if you have any doubts about what the people are saying and how much Washington is out of tune with it, listen to the crowds in Zumbahua, Ecuador at the symbolic swearing-in ceremony of the new president:
It’s in Spanish, and just under an hour long; Evo addresses the crowd first, talking of indigenous struggles across the continent. Cuba and Castro get loud cheers when Evo speaks of them in the same context. There’s also a lot of applause for his remarks against “neo-liberalism” and in favor of resource nationalization.
Then it’s Chavecito’s turn, and of course, he’s very poetic and eloquent (as usual.) He pays tribute to a very particular Ecuadorian lady: Manuela Saenz, the companion of Simon Bolivar on his military campaigns to liberate South America from the Spanish empire. This goes over well with the crowd. You can hear the people chanting “Chavez, amigo, el pueblo esta contigo” (Chavez, friend, we’re with you to the end). Chavecito tries to get them to do the same for Correa! He also says the voice of the people is the voice of God–something the “God-fearing” folks in Washington would do well to hear. Especially when the “voice of God” starts chanting “Alerta, alerta, alerta que camina/La espada de Bolivar por America Latina” (Watch out, the sword of Bolivar is on the move in Latin America!)
And that sword certainly seems to be on the move–the unity of the peoples is growing daily. Much to the dismay of Washington, naturally. Because this is one sword that can’t be stopped once it starts swinging.
