Venezuelan Star Among ‘West Side Story’ Cast

“West Side Story” is coming to Broadway, and it will do so with the help of Venezuelan performer George Akram.

Akram is cast as Bernardo, the gang member who leads the Sharks. The role was played by George Chakiris (pictured at right, center) in the original 1961 movie.

A very talented singer and dancer, Akram comes from an artistic family. His mother is the choreographer Anita Vivas, and his father, Antonio Drija, was in Cirque du Soleil. Akram’s brother, Victor Drija, is also a famous dancer in Venezuela.

Akram achieved success on the national stage in productions like “Visa para un sueño,” a musical based on the music of Juan Luis Guerra. He moved to the U.S. in 2001 and has since shared the stage with an impressive bunch: salsa singers Celia Cruz and Oscar d’León, pop phenoms Gloria Estefan and Paulina Rubio, and even reggaeton powerhouses Wisin y Yandel and Don Omar.

We look forward to seeing Venezuela represented among the cast of West Side Story in New York starting in March 2009!

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Venezuela and China Launch “Simón Bolivar” Satellite

It’s official! Venezuela’s social revolution takes to the skies today with the launch of the satellite dubbed “Simon Bolivar” in remembrance of the independence leader.

The BBC reported that this telecommunications tool will cover all of Latin America and be used, ideally by many countries, “to enhance regional integration and also for social programmes such as tele-education and tele-medicine.” Click on the BBC link to watch an informative video.

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Venezuelan Artist Works with “Color as a Physical Presence”

Called “one of Latin America’s Kinetic Art masters,” Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz Diez, age 85, works with the eye’s perception of color. His current exhibit at the Americas Society in New York is his first major solo show in the U.S.

The installation “Chromosaturation” features 3 white-walled rooms saturated with colored lights. The colors appear to change and blend as the viewer walks through the rooms and participates in a “direct chromatic experience.”

“Cruz Diez is considered a pioneer in the use of color as a participatory tool as well as a visionary who pushed the boundaries of art towards everyday life,” according to the website of the Americas Society.

The exhibit runs until January 2009.

Click here to read an artist profile, find out the location of the gallery, and get links to videos and a panel discussion about the work of Cruz Diez.

Check out this article from the Los Angeles Times with great photos!

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Venezuela Elected to UN Economic and Social Council

Today is an exciting and historic day for Venezuela, as it was elected a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. ECOSOC is a vitally important coordinating body of the United Nations and serves as a “central forum for the discussion of economic and social issues.”

Venezuela “will have the opportunity to show the world the importance of the social projects being implemented from the South”, said Ruben Dario Molina of the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry.

Venezuela will begin its service in ECOSOC on January 1, 2009. During its 3 year term, Venezuela will work with the nations of the world to:

-promote higher standards of living, full employment, and economic and social progress

-identify solutions to international economic, social and health problems

-facilitate international cultural and educational cooperation

-encourage universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms

Venezuela has been leading by example for the last decade, and now has the chance to share that experience with the world.

Click here to learn more about ECOSOC and here for more information about Venezuela’s election to the Council.

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Venezuela Signs UN Convention Against Disappearance

Last Tuesday, Venezuela’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Jorge Valero, signed an important piece of human rights legislation: the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

“Enforced disappearance” refers to “the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the State.”

It is a crime that is commonly associated with the “dirty wars” in South America’s Southern Cone in the 1970s and 80s, and that has been brought to the world’s attention by groups such as Argentina’s Madres de la Plaza de Mayo.

Now, Venezuela has joined 78 other countries around the world that vow to prevent disappearance and prosecute cases.

Venezuela ratified the OAS Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance a decade ago. This new convention is yet another commitment made by the Chavez government to ensuring respect for human rights and civil protections.

Read news in Spanish here or check out the full text of the convention in English here. Find out more about Venezuela’s Permanent Mission to the UN here.

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Venezuelan Conductors Invade U.S. Classical Music Scene

Venezuela’s Gustavo Dudamel is on his way to becoming a household name. He is credited with reviving classical music, and will surely gain more attention when he assumes his post as conductor of the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra in 2009.

It so happens that another Venezuelan conductor, Eduardo Marturet (pictured above), heads up the Miami Symphony Orchestra. Though Marturet honed his music skills abroad in Europe, he later returned to Venezuela and preceded Dudamel as director of Venezuela’s Youth Symphony Orchestra through 1995. More recently, in 2006, his “Encantamento” won a Latin Grammy for Best Classical Album.

The Miami Symphony Orchestra began its 20th season last Saturday. The first performance featured a star performer, the violinist Alexis Cardenas, who is a also Venezuelan. Watch him wow the crowd in the video below.

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NYU Students Put Posada Carriles on Trial

On October 6, 1976, 73 people were killed in the bombing of Cubana Airlines flight 455. To mark the 22nd anniversary of this tragic loss of life, the New York University chapter of the National Lawyer’s Guild staged a tribunal of the man accused of this and other acts of terrorism. Luis Posada Carriles, a former CIA agent and current Miami resident, is wanted in several countries including Venezuela.

“Hopefully people will listen to this, and there will be more discussion about it,” said a student who watched the tribunal.

You be the judge:

Read coverage of the NYU event here and listen to historical evidence presented at the trial by Jane Franklin (about 32 minutes into this recording). If you want to read more, check out this L.A. Times editorial. Use the comments section to tell us what you think.

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Venezuela’s “Vino Tinto” Defeat Ecuador in Soccer

Venezuelans are not known for soccer, but that’s fine — they’re succeeding at it anyway.

The national team, nicknamed “el vino tinto” for the red-wine color of their uniforms, beat out Ecuador 3-1 yesterday to remain in the World Cup qualifiers. All three goals were scored in the second half, signaling a major comeback after four straight losses. Above, Alejandro Moreno and Gabriel Cichero celebrate their win.

Last Friday, “el vino tinto” lost to Brazil, a powerhouse team that Venezuela has managed to defeat only once. This time, Brazil earned an easy 4-0 victory, but still complained! Coach Dunga said his players were kept awake at night by loud partying while they were in Venezuela. “When we play away from home in the World Cup qualifiers, the whole country unites to try and make things as difficult as possible for Brazil,” he said.

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Venezuela’s Jaime Gili Wins “Art All Around” Contest

Jaime Gili of Venezuela has been called “one of the hottest global artists”. Gili made headlines recently when he won the “Art All Around” contest in Portland, Maine. His design to enliven an industrial area was selected from 560 entries from 73 countries received by the Maine Center for Creativity.

Designing Maine’s public art project came easy for Jaime Gili, who grew up in Caracas, a city full of art, ranging from sculpture and murals to graffiti. Gili explained, “I grew up in Venezuela seeing lots of urban art and and public commissions being made mostly by artists who were active in the ’50s and ’60s, the ’70s. There’s a lot of optical art in this tradition.”

Gili now lives and works in London, where he is a featured artist at the Riflemaker Gallery. In an homage to art and architecture in Caracas, he created “Ruta Rota”, a dislpay of colorful geometric shapes on a 1970s edifice in London’s Cheapside. Recently, he created works of art inspired by the multi-colored stickers sported by the motorcycle taxi drivers of Caracas.

Jaime Gili has also done several projects to help create ties between artists and art groups in Europe and Latin America. To watch a video of the artist explaining his work and see images of the project in Maine, click here. Also, check out his website.

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Venezuela on the Road to Clean Energy

The Associated Press announced recently that “Chavez will swap gas-guzzlers for clean cars.”

The news may seem surprising coming from an oil producing country that claims what may be the largest reserves of crude in the world. Gas prices are subsidized by the state in Venezuela, and — as in the US — cars are a big part of local culture.

Things are now beginning to change. The state oil company PDVSA has opened a conversion center to turn regular, gas-burning cars into cleaner vehicles that run on natural gas. Bloomberg reported that nearly 1,000 cars will be converted by the end of the year, and automakers will be required to have 30% running on natural gas by April 2009.

The issue of environmental sustainability has caught on in Venezuela in recent years. Part of the constitution is dedicated to the environmental rights and responsibilities of citizens. The law states: “It is a fundamental duty of the State, with the active participation of society, to ensure that the populace develops in a pollution-free environment…”

Looks like things are moving the right direction.

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Venezuela the Unfair Target of “Mercenaries 2” Game

The new video game Mercenaries 2: World in Flames advertises that players can wreak unbridled havoc in a “fully destructible Venezuela.” The plot line is a hypothetical one about a “tyrant” who seizes oil and then the government.

But what sounds like a playful — if unabashedly violent — romp could be an extremely damaging assault on the reputation of a country about which many young people have no other source of information. In the virtual world of Mercenaries, players open fire on shantytowns and assassinate leaders. Audiences may not realize — or not care to know — that Venezuela has been democratic for half a century, and is a stable trading partner of the U.S.

Will players be able to distinguish fiction from reality? Read about the ongoing controversy from BBC News here.

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Caracas, Venezuela: A Guide to Enjoying a Fabulous City

Thinking of visiting Caracas? For travel insights, check out Thom Walker’s “Insider’s Guide to Caracas” in this week’s Spectator. The detailed article features historical attractions, restaurants, cultural events, and entertainment. For those who like to dance the night away, or just want to learn a few steps, he recommends El Maní, a world famous caraqueño salsa club. History buffs are guided to the Plaza Bolívar in the heart of the city. “The Insider’s Guide to Caracas” offers great ideas and practical advice to enjoy the fun and flavor of fabulous Caracas.

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