Venezuela: Designing a Cleaner Future

An innovative form of eco-friendly housing is taking off in Venezuela.
“Petrocasas” is the name given to a new kind of house built with waste generated by oil production. A plastic derived from the process of refining crude oil is filled with concrete to create durable homes with a high degree of flexibility of design, not [...]

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Venezuelan Symphony Orchestra Wows U.S. Crowds

Once again, the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela is on tour in the U.S. and making a big impression on music fans and critics alike. Last night, the Venezuelan group performed in Los Angeles.
The star of the tour is clearly Gustavo Dudamel, the renowned young conductor who was tapped to lead the Los [...]

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Venezuelan Children Benefit from One Woman’s Mission

Here is a story incredible enough to inspire a book, a film, and a franchise of motivational audio CDs. A woman named Lisa Tylee is bicycling 9,000 mile route around the U.S. to raise funds to benefit street children in Venezuela. She is a co-founder of the organization Veniños, which is dedicated to [...]

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Venezuelan Music Tip: Babylon Motorhome

Venezuelan music is replete with diverse influences, from Andean, Caribbean, and African rhythms and traditional folkloric instruments, to North American and European rock, jazz, and electronica trends.
Babylon Motorhome is a ska and reggae band that is making a splash right now in the local music scene in Caracas. The 12-person group blends different styles [...]

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Venezuela’s Traditional “Burning of Judas”

In Venezuela, as in many other Catholic countries around the world, Easter Sunday has historically been celebrated with the “Quema de Judas,” or the burning of an effigy of the traitorous apostle from the Bible, Judas.
According to some, the activity allows worshipers to let out resentment, anger, or other negative feelings, which are symbolically destroyed [...]

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Venezuela Stands up for Sovereignty

Read all about it!
In recent days, news came of two major triumphs: the overturning of ExxonMobil’s $12 billion asset freeze against Venezuela’s state oil company, and a resolution by the OAS rejecting Colombia’s deadly military raid into Ecuador. At the heart of both issues is the question of sovereignty.
First, in the dispute with ExxonMobil, [...]

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Venezuela and Colombia Cry Out for Peace

Yesterday, a free concert was held on the border of Venezuela and Colombia to reaffirm peaceful relations between the countries.
The BBC reported that the show was organized by Colombian pop star Juanes, who told about 100,000 fans, “We are all citizens who believe that the future of a country is not only a matter for [...]

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Venezuela’s New Indigenous Library

Venezuela’s Indigenous population makes up just 1-2% of the national population. In recent years, though, the government has made some noteworthy efforts to reach out to this historically marginal group.
A while ago, we wrote about a new initiative to promote Indigenous community radio. More recently, the state of Amazonas has revealed plans [...]

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Venezuela’s Fastest Female: Milka Duno

Venezuelan race-car driver Milka Duno rocketed to international stardom when she won the Grand Prix of Miami in 2004.
Last year, she was one of only three women in the Indy 500. Now, Duno has been signed for a second season in the IndyCar Series and is set to drive the #23 CITGO-sponsored Honda [...]

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ALBA Prize Awarded to Cultural Greats

Last Friday, Venezuela’s culture minister awarded the 2008 ALBA Prize to two of the biggest stars of Latin American arts scene.
And the winners are…
The esteemed Uruguayan writer Mario Benedetti, who is one of South America’s most famous living authors, and the legendary modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer of Brazil (pictured here).
Niemeyer is best known for planning [...]

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Venezuela Gets a New Telenovela

In a few days, Venezuela’s first ever independently produced soap opera will air on the new public television station, TVes (Televisora Venezolana Social).
Now, you may be asking yourself, “Didn’t Venezuela invent soap operas?” Not quite, but the country has a long and enthusiastic tradition around telenovelas, as the popular — and famously melodramatic — [...]

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Venezuelan Funk Music Saves the Day

Having too quiet a Thursday? Need a pick-me-up soundtrack?
Get tuned into Los Amigos Invisibles, the funk band that is arguably Venezuela’s most successful musical export. On their website, you can listen for free to their entire 2004 album, “Venezuelan Zinga Son.”
According to the band’s official bio, Los Amigos Invisibles was formed in Caracas [...]

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