The first time I
met Hugo Chavez was at the United Nations in New York in January 2003. He asked
me my name, as if we were chatting between friends just getting to know each
other. When I told him “Eva”, he responded “Eva, really?”[i]
“Yes, Eva”, I said. “My brother is named Adan”, he said, adding, “My mother
wanted me to be a girl so that she could call me Eva, and look, I appeared!” He
smiled and laughed with that laugh of his, so pure and sincere it’s contagious
to all those near.
He appeared.
Chavez, who even underestimated himself.
This man appeared,
larger than life, with an immense heart full of his people, pueblo, beating with homeland, patria. A human being appeared, with a
great capacity to persist and stand defiantly in the face of the most powerful
obstacles.
Hugo Chavez dreamed
the impossible and achieved it. He assumed responsibility for the grandiose and
difficult tasks that remained undone from the time of independence, those that
Simon Bolivar couldn’t attain due to the adverse forces against him. Chavez
fulfilled those goals, turning them into reality. The Bolivarian Revolution,
the recovery of Venezuelan dignity, social justice, the visibility and power of
the people, Latin American integration, national and regional sovereignty, true
independence, the realization of the dream of the Patria Grande, and much, much more. These are Chavez’s
achievements, the man who appeared just like that.
There are millions
of people around the world who are inspired by Hugo Chavez. Chavez raises his
voice without trembling before the most powerful, he says the truth - what
others are afraid of saying -, he kneels before no one, he walks with firm
dignity, head held high, with the people, el
pueblo, guiding him and a dream of a prosperous, just and fulfilled nation.
Chavez has given us the collective strength to fight inequality, injustice, to
build nations and to believe that a better world isn’t just a dream, it’s an
achievable reality.
Chavez, a man who could
spend time in the company of the world’s richest and most powerful, prefers to
be with those most in need, feeling their pain, embracing them and finding ways
to improve their lives.
Chavez once told us
a story, or told it many times as he often does. He was driving in his
motorcade, out in the Venezuelan plains, los
llanos, on those long roads that seem to continue infinitely. A dog
suddenly appeared at the side of the road, limping with a wounded leg. Chavez ordered
the motorcade to stop and went out to get the dog. He hugged the wounded animal,
saying it had to be taken to the vet. “How can we leave it here alone and
wounded”, he asked. “It’s a being, it’s a life, it needs to be cared for”, he
said, demonstrating his sensitivity. “How can we call ourselves socialists
without the lives of others mattering? We need to love, we need to care for
all, including animals, which are innocent beings. We can turn our backs on no
one”, he recalled.
When he told that
story I cried. I cried because of my love for animals and the widespread
mistreatment they suffer, and how necessary it was for someone like him,
Chavez, to say something like that to awaken consciousness about the need to
care for those who share our planet. But I also cried because Chavez confirmed something
in that moment that I already knew, something I felt in my heart, but was
unsure of in my mind. Chavez confirmed his simplicity, his sensitivity and his
capacity to love. He confirmed he is a man whose heart feels pain when he sees
a wounded animal. A man who not only feels, but acts. That’s who he is.
When Chavez assumed
the presidency of Venezuela, the country was limping. He had seen its wounds
and knew that he had to do all he could to help. He took Venezuela into his
arms, embracing it closely, soothing and seeking how to make it better. He gave
everything he had in him - his sweat, soul, strength, energy, intelligence and
love - to change Venezuela with dignity, growth, sovereignty, and
nation-building. He looked after it day and night, never leaving it alone. He
found its beauty, its strength, its potential and its greatness. He helped it
to grow strong, beautiful, visible and happy. He led its rebirth and filled its
pulse with force and passion, with people’s power and a dignified homeland.
Chavez has given
everything of himself and asked for nothing in return. Today, Venezuela grows
and flourishes, thanks to his commitment and vision, thanks to his dedication
and determination, thanks to his love.
Thank goodness you
appeared, Chavez.
- Eva Golinger
