Neo-Venezuela: A country that abandons citizens and bets on some foreigners
The neo-person is a human being (re)born or (re)furtively introduced into a society, be it his own or a foreign country.
In this sense, the principal purpose is to imitate or understand the customs of the individual of origin and to adapt to the country to which he\ she is introducing or reinserting.
Taking into account the above, we then have foreigners who visit other countries in search of culture, which breaks down socio-linguistic barriers and allows them to be more empathetic about the vicissitudes experienced by others, considering the political and economic situation that each one is going through.
On the other hand, and at the same time, we have individuals who seek to settle in another country, making use of tools such as comedy, stand-up, journalism, etc., so they portray and tell fleetingly the anecdotes of where they lived from a very personal point of view, where factors such as economic stratification affect the vision with which the country visited is perceived.
In this sense, we wonder then: what is the Neo Venezuelan? Has the country's crisis been a window for international tourism, with which part of the government in power is supported? Does the Venezuelan of origin recognize the Neo Venezuelan or foreign Venezuelan (understood as the one not born in the country)?
For this purpose, we talked to one Venezuelan political scientist (Paolo Rosales) who explained in basic terms how foreign migration is progressively becoming this new (Neo/Post) Venezuelan, which also feeds a recent sociocultural phenomenon in Venezuela and the region.
How is Neo Venezuelanism or post-Venezuelanism born from a sociocultural perspective beyond political and economic motivations?
My position is that the cultural exchange that is born from the first migrations to Venezuela by Portuguese-Hispanic and Latin American citizens and decades later, the antipodal arises where millions of Venezuelans, from the country's migrant families, abandoned a devastated Venezuelan country in massive human waves seeking exile. This was generated due to a humanitarian crisis resulting from a deep political and institutional situation.
What is the difference between a Venezuelan of origin and a new one? Can the latter go unnoticed or camouflage himself/ herself, as some Youtubers who portray the Venezuelan reality do, or do they believe our identity is unique and irreplicable?
Talking about the origin of Venezuelans is complex because Venezuelan nationality, in terms of "imagined community," is a heterogeneous social construction regarding culture, aesthetics, institutions, and politics. However, within the migratory crisis, there is an opposite side, like a b-side of some radio cassette, where there is migratory feedback, in which the Venezuelan tyranny has not only been lax, with immigration coming from countries at war, like Syria, with which it has solid "diplomatic ties," or the case of Belarus, where there are characters that coexist in Venezuelan "diplomatic" and mobs networks, who possibly came running from the best families of the senior bureaucrats of this Caucasus's country. Therefore, the origin of the Venezuelan citizen is strongly influenced by different nationalities. Regardless of origin, Venezuelans continue to have a global imagination with a much more significant lack of authenticity than they need.
What is the primary purpose for a foreigner to reside or visit Venezuela within this context? It is unofficially known that armed groups have invaded part of the country with illicit businesses. Leisure travel is scarce for Venezuelans, and hyperinflation doesn't help either. Is there another intention for the visitors according to their political opinions?
It cannot be denied that the mega-diverse character of Venezuela and the importance of this in world tourism; however, a humanitarian crisis like the Venezuelan one leads to the integral growth of the quality of life and, therefore, of all the country's productive sectors. As an implausible way to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, in all its dimensions, there has been complacency on the part of the dictatorship in bringing in different influencers and people to do propaganda work. It is still too early to see the correlation of forces moving in Venezuela.
Where is it most straightforward to find this new Venezuelan? In which state of Venezuela?
The truth is I don't know the exact information about this, but I assume that in the central states, Capital District and Carabobo, perhaps Maracaibo and Falcón, motivated by the oil industry and maybe the Andean cities for their quality of life, although in decline for years, were vital for international tourism in past years.
Can the same term be applied to a Venezuelan residing outside of the country? Why?
I believe that the Venezuelan who lives outside the country has formed a new persona in which that cultural mix that we call Venezuelanness and the country's culture that receives them come together. It is essential to know that nothing is original, not even nationalities. Historically, cultures, religions, etc., are mixtures, thefts, and usurpation of others.
