In the shadows of what was once a thriving culture, the tragic death of designer Luis Braccal a few weeks ago underlines the brutal reality now gripping Venezuela. Braccal, a beloved figure in Caracas’ entertainment scene and designer of my wife’s dress for the Miss Venezuela beauty pageant of 2004, was savagely beaten by security personnel at the Paseo Las Mercedes Shopping Centre in Baruta, Miranda. The assault left him with severe internal bleeding, and ten days later, he succumbed to his injuries. Luis was a dear family friend, and his loss is deeply felt.
Luis’ untimely death has become a symbol of the violence that has plagued Venezuela since the rise of Chavismo. What should have been a routine shopping trip to return a faulty Christmas gift – a toy train – escalated into an unnecessary altercation with security guards, who responded with disproportionate force and have now been arrested for murder. Braccal’s own words, shared on social media after the attack, reflect the desperation of countless Venezuelans: “My only ‘crime’ was to claim my rights.” His death is not an isolated incident, but a chilling reflection of the lawlessness and corruption that have become commonplace in a country once considered the jewel of Latin America.
When Hugo Chávez assumed power in 1999, Venezuela stood on the brink of a new era. Blessed with vast oil reserves, the country was poised to become a regional powerhouse and a beacon of hope for Latin America’s impoverished masses. Chávez’s promises to rid Venezuela of corruption and restore dignity to the working class resonated with millions. But beneath the rhetoric, his socialist policies would set the stage for the country’s catastrophic downfall.
Chávez’s successor, Nicolás Maduro, deepened the destructive legacy of Chavismo. Over the years, the government’s mismanagement of the economy, suppression of political dissent, and militarisation of public life have driven Venezuela into chaos. Luis Braccal’s death is the culmination of years of violence, impunity, and the erosion of personal freedoms. It is emblematic of a nation where the rule of law has all but disappeared, replaced by a culture of fear and brutality.
Venezuela’s decline is not only economic but also social and moral. Once known for its vibrant culture, bustling cities, and warm people, the country now exists in a state of despair. In 1998, the poverty rate was 42%. By 2018, that figure had skyrocketed to over 90%. The middle class has been decimated, unemployment is rampant, and millions of Venezuelans have fled their homeland in search of basic security and sustenance.
In a desperate attempt to cling to power, the government has systematically undermined the rule of law, silenced the opposition, and stripped away the very foundations of democracy. Law enforcement agencies, once pillars of Venezuelan society, have been transformed into tools of political control and repression. Police officers, security guards, and other officials are often poorly trained, underpaid, and ill-equipped to cope with the growing violence. In Braccal’s case, no one called the police after the altercation, illustrating the breakdown of security in the country.
Violence has become an inescapable part of daily life. In 2018, Venezuela had one of the highest murder rates in the world, with over 23,000 homicides — an average of 65 murders a day. While that number has dropped to 26.8 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, it’s largely due to a paucity of targets to cull, not any meaningful improvement in security. Criminal cartels control much of the country’s economy, trafficking drugs, weapons, and humans across borders. Even the police, whose role should be to protect the public, are often complicit in these crimes.
In the 1990’s, the local newspaper in the area where my wife comes from used to be replete with photos of tennis and baseball matches. These days, the first dozen pages are comprised of photographs of unclaimed corpses dumped at the local ‘basurero’ (dump).
For the average Venezuelan, survival is a daily struggle. Despite being home to some of the world’s largest oil reserves, public services are in shambles. Public transportation is virtually non-existent in many areas, forcing people to hitchhike or walk for miles just to reach their destinations. Hospitals, once centres of medical excellence, are underfunded and overwhelmed, unable to provide even basic care. Essential workers — doctors, teachers, and engineers — are fleeing the country in droves, abandoning their families and their futures in search of better opportunities abroad.
The root cause of Venezuela’s crisis lies in the very heart of Chavismo. Chávez’s Marxist-inspired policies — including the nationalisation of key industries and the dismantling of the private sector — crippled the nation’s economy. Parcelisation of private land, then distributed to the populace, led to the ruin of the countryside and food insecurity. Chávez’s successor, Maduro, has continued these policies, deepening the crisis and further entrenching the state’s control over all aspects of life.
Venezuela’s oil wealth, which once provided the foundation for the nation’s prosperity, has been squandered through mismanagement, corruption, and economic missteps. Inflation has reached astronomical levels, with the IMF estimating it to have surpassed 1,000,000% in 2018. The bolívar, Venezuela’s national currency, is virtually worthless, and the country’s economic activity is dominated by informal and black-market exchanges.
Despite these grim realities, the Chavista regime remains entrenched, using violence, intimidation, and coercion to silence its critics. Opposition leaders are jailed or exiled, political dissidents are persecuted, and anyone who dares to challenge the government’s authority is labelled an enemy of the state. The government’s response to public unrest is not dialogue but force, with the National Guard, police, and paramilitary groups routinely deployed to crush dissent.
The tragedy of Venezuela is not just about economic collapse, but the moral decay that has taken hold of the country. Families, like the Braccals, grieve not only the loss of loved ones but the loss of hope itself. For many, there is no escape from the darkness, no light at the end of the tunnel. The dream of building a prosperous, dignified nation has been replaced by the harsh realities of hunger, fear, and frustration.
Venezuela has been a nation in mourning for a while now, its people held captive by a regime that has destroyed its soul. For those who remain, the struggle for survival continues — but with each day, the light at the end of the tunnel grows dimmer.
Take note, future American President Trump.
Dominic Wightman is the Editor of Country Squire Magazine and the author of various books.
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That sounds rather familiar.
It’s a sad state of affairs. I suspect Trump will prefer to leave Venezuela to wallow in its failed state condition as a potent example of where socialism can lead. Short of military intervention, there is nothing that can be done because the usual (ineffective) recourse to economic sanctions so beloved of the western world will have no effect here.