(Aquí en español)
By Eva Golinger
A year has passed since the physical parting of Hugo
Chavez and it’s still impossible to accept. His voice was a constant in
revolutionary Venezuela, his discourse was a school in continuous development.
A humble man with a noble soul, Chavez had the courage of warriors and a heart
filled with patriotism. He defied the most powerful interests without ever
flinching. His hand never trembled, he never bowed down, he was always firm
with serenity and conviction, ready to confront the most powerful threats. His
value was immense, a soldier of the people, a giant of centuries. Knowing him
was a privilege and a priceless treasure.
Chavez had an impact on the world, leaving his
fingerprint in struggles and dreams of social justice, from north to south. His
legacy is transcontinental, without borders. “Chavez” translates to a symbol of
dignity in all languages.
I had the honor of accompanying him on several of his
international trips. I witnessed the massive support he received on almost
every continent. His mere presence inspired millions. He represented the dreams
of so many struggles, so many commitments to humanity, and he proved that another
world is possible.
All around the world people ran to see him up close,
anxious to hear his words full of hope, simple yet full of profound intimacy.
Chavez breathed love, and although millions received him with open arms, there
were always dangerous threats around him. He was unpredictable, always a step
ahead. Washington called him a “wise competitor”, and coming from the US
government that wasn’t only a compliment, but evidenced his grandeur. Not even
the empire could control him.
In May 2006 I was on a book tour in Europe with the
publication of the German and Italian editions of my first book, The Chavez
Code. While finishing up my events in Germany, I had the luck of coinciding
with President Chavez’s visit to Vienna, Austria for the Latin America-European
Union summit.
I arrived at the hotel where the presidential delegation
was staying and after greeting familiar faces in the lobby, I went to my room
to rest. An hour later, I went downstairs to see what was going on and to find
out the president’s schedule. When I entered the lobby, the friendly
presidential protocol officer informed me we would be leaving in a few moments.
He asked me to join them in the caravan. I hadn’t yet seen the president but I
assumed we were heading out before him to an event, so I got in the car with
the delegation.
They took us to a place in the center of Vienna. When we
arrived, we saw an enormous amount of people, mainly young, who were both
outside and inside the venue. “What is this place?”, I asked. “It’s a popular
cultural center here called Arena”, I was told.
We got out of the car and saw thousands of people around
the place. There was an event that evening with none other than President Hugo
Chavez, leader of the Bolivarian Revolution. A while later, when we had entered
the venue to see the impressive amount of people there, I was approached and
told that I would be speaking at the event that night, there in front of the
European crowd. “What an honor”, I thought, to participate in a public event in
Vienna alongside Chavez.
The evening air was brisk and so many people kept
arriving that they didn’t fit in the venue. The organizers decided they had to
change the event from inside, where only 500 people fit, to right outside in a
public square, where thousands could arrive. Never before had there been a
phenomenon like this in Vienna. Thousands of European youth had gathered
outdoors in a Viennese square to listen to a Latin American head of state. The
quantity of people present was spectacular. Chavez wasn’t just a Latin American
leader, he was an international sensation.
Time went by and the President didn’t arrive. People were
getting anxious waiting for so long - punctuality in Austria was strict and
they weren’t used to waiting. A while later, the presidential protocol folks
asked me to go on stage with the rest of the delegation. We had to do
something, they said, the people were waiting for too long to just leave them
in limbo. I went to talk to the other members of the delegation, which
included Nicolas Maduro, then President of the National Assembly, legislator
Juan Barreto and Planning and Development Minister Jorge Giordani. “They
president is not coming”, they told me. “So what are we going to do now?”, I
asked. “We can’t just go out there when they are expecting Chavez”.
Two hours had passed from the start time of the event and
the public was restless. We went to talk to the organizers, a group of friendly
European activists. We told them about the possibility that Chavez wouldn’t
come. He was tired and already resting in the hotel, preparing for the heads of
state summit the following day.
The news hit them like a rock. It wasn’t possible, they
said. Never before in history had so many people come out to a public place to
hear a head of state from anywhere. We had to understand the historic
importance of the moment.
We understood clearly that under no circumstances could
we replace President Chavez before that crowd. It was Chavez or nothing, or better yet, it had to be Chavez, period. We took footage of the venue and
thousands present, and we sent it with the Presidential Guard and the
President’s assistants, asking them to please convey the importance of the
event to him so he would come.
Two hours went by and it was now nighttime, but no one
had left. People actually kept arriving. They stayed alert singing “Uh Ah, Chávez no se va” in Spanish
and in German, “Chávez geht nicht”.
After four hours under the beautiful
full moon of Vienna, anxious for the arrival of the Comandante of the XXI
century, there was movement. Chavez had seen the images and he understood the
magnitud of the moment and the importance of speaking before European youth.
Despite his fatigue and lack of sleep, he appeared, radiant, smiling as he
looked upon the young crowd.
The arrival of the President was met
with an impressive applause from the public around 10pm. The brilliant light of
the moon reflected on the awe and intensity of the faces in the crowd. Everyone
was completely attentive, listening hard to the Venezuelan leader. And President
Chavez was inspired by the attention and dedication of the Viennese youth, and
there outside “Arena”, he launched into a master class about building an
international revolutionary movement. He talked about “The Triangle of
Victory”, comprised of three principle factors: political objectives, strategy
and power framed within conscientiousness, commitment and organization.
Everyone stayed during the two hours that Chavez spoke, listening carefully to
every detail about the international revolutionary project, showing their
support and approval in applause, chants and smiles. “They accuse us of wanting
to build an atomic bomb”, exclaimed Chavez. “But we aren’t interested in having
atomic bombs. The empire can have all the atomic bombs. We don’t need an
arsenal of bombs to save the world. We are the atomic bombs! And above all,
youth of the world, you are the atomic bombs...bombs of love, passion, ideas,
strength, organization”.
Sixty-four European media outlets
covered that historic event in Vienna. “The Che Guevara of the XXI century”,
they called him, fascinated with what had happened that night under the full
moon. Never before had a head of state gone out to the streets to speak with
the people. Never before had so many people spontaneously gathered outdoors in
Vienna to hear a head of state speak, let alone one from Latin America. Chavez
brought the love and sincerity of the Venezuelan people to Austria, and the
people of Vienna received him with open arms.
“You are going to save the world”,
he affirmed. “Know that you are not alone here. Know that youth all around the
world, who speak different languages, who are bathed in other colors, have the
same calling as you...In Latin America, in Africa, in Asia...Youth of the world
awaken, workers of the world rise up, women rise up, students rise up. Let’s go
together on the path of revolution!”
When he ended his speech, Chavez looked at the glorious
full moon that had illuminated the event. “Ah...”, he said. “That full moon, so
beautiful, makes me want to grab a guitar and go with you all to the Danub
river to sing until dawn”. The glimmer in his eyes gave away his sincerity. It
was a special moment, those that occur only once in a lifetime. It seemed like
an intimate gathering amongst friends, although most of us didn’t know each
other. But, we shared a love for justice and a dream for a better world. Chavez
was just another brother in the fight for that dream.
Years later, Chavez’s international influence turned him
into the number one enemy of Washington. Someone of his humility, sincerity,
courage and conviction was not common, especially as the president of the
country with the largest oil reserves on the planet. The threats against Chavez were constant,
attempts against his life never ceased. There was a systematic aggression
against his government from the most powerful interests in the world, together
with their agents in Venezuela. They gave their all against Chavez. A leader of
his stature, influence, strength and dignity, with an immense capacity for
love, was dangerous for the imperial agenda. They did what they could to
neutralize him.
We may never know if his death was provoked or not,
although enough evidence exists to investigate. What we do know is that his
mortal departure was not a goodbye. Men like Chavez don’t disappear, though
some wish they would. Chavez’s legacy lives today and grows beyond the
Bolivarian Revolution. His voice is present in every cry for freedom, his gaze
is seen in brave young people who defy powerful and dangerous interests to
expose truths. His love is present in the solidarity and heartfelt commitment
that millions feel for revolutionary Venezuela. His strength and dignity guide
the defense of the Patria Grande,
today under threat again from those who seek to erase us from history.
Chavez will never disappear. His presence will continue
to grow and multiply in every soldier of peace, every warrior for justice.
Smiling, with a heart of gold, Chavez will always be a giant under the moon.
