Culture / 7 posts found
Downward spiral: how Venezuelas symbol of progress became political prisoners hell
The dizzying spiral structure in central Caracas was conceived in the 1950s as a monument to a nations confidence but now its crumbling shell houses a notorious political prison. Is El Helicoide a metaphor for modern Venezuela? Spiralling up a hill in the heart of Caracas is a playful, ambitious building that once embodied Venezuelas dreams of modernity, power and influence, and was fted by Salvador Dal and Pablo Neruda. Today, its crumbling concrete shell houses the headquarters of Venezuelas intelligence services and the countrys most notorious political prison. It has become a symbol of national decay, bankrupt dreams and […]
There’s more to that ‘racist’ meme of Samuel L. Jackson and Magic Johnson than meets the eye
It’s certainly a zany story with a catchy headline — Italians mistake actor Samuel L. Jackson and legendary basketball player Magic Johnson for “lazy migrants.” But there’s much more to the story than a clickbaity title, and it taps into a widespread debate on populism, racism, and immigration. SEE ALSO: Google cancels diversity meeting because of alt-right trolling It all started when left-wing satirical writer Luca Bottura posted on Facebook a meme of Jackson and Johnson on holiday in Forte dei Marmi for what he later described as a “social experiment”— in a nutshell, to troll migrant-haters in the […]
Not so fast: Despacito singers tell Nicols Maduro to stop using remixed song
Venezuelan presidents attempt to co-opt the global hit for political purposes backfires with Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee calling the use illegal Venezuelan president Nicols Maduros attempt to use Latin hit staging months of protests against Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader narrowly elected to replace the late Hugo Chavez in 2013. Some 100 people have died in the unrest, which has further hammered an imploding economy that is running short of food and medicine. Critics say Maduro is trying to cement a dictatorship by pushing forward with the Constituent Assembly this Sunday. He says it is the […]
The Manhattan of Venezuela Parties Against a Backdrop of Crisis
In the courtyard of La Esquina, a restaurant in Caracas’s upscale Chacao district, Alexandra Lovera lived the more pleasant half of her double life. The 24-year-old culinary student and frequent protester of Photographer: Meridith Kohut/Bloomberg From afar, Venezuela’s capital appears to burn day and night. Protests against authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro have raged for more than 100 days, claiming scores of lives as the economy crumbles and masses go hungry. This month, the nation faces the prospect of a constitutional assembly that could hamstring democracy, a general strike and the possibility of fresh economic sanctions. But after dark, an elite class […]
Katy Perry’s ‘koala chasing’ line in commercial gets slammed
Best to leave the koalas alone. Image: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage Don’t mess with the koalas, Katy Perry. The pop star faced criticism for telling her pet dog Nugget “let’s go chase some koalas” in an ad for Australian department store chain Myer. But one veterinarian wasn’t cool with the koala, saying it reverses efforts to stop dogs coming into contact with the marsupial. SEE ALSO: Jellybean the joey has just left his mother’s pouch and he can’t stop bouncing “Perry is a role model to so many young people, and this just destroys all the good work we do to try […]
Miley Cyrus and Dolce & Gabbana are in a political Instagram feud. Alright!
Miley Cyrus is not noddin' her head like yeah to Dolce & GabbanaImage: Stevan A Henry/Getty Images The greatest celebrity social media beefs are the ones we never saw coming, and Miley Cyrus vs. Dolce & Gabbana over Melania Trump certainly checks that box. What a truly dizzying collection of proper nouns! It started, as these things often do, with one of the less famous members of a famous family getting a pretty sweet modeling gig thanks to his hard work and nothing else. Apparently, Miley has a brother named Braison, and he made his runway debut in the fashion […]
Venezuela’s El Sistema musicians still play to the government’s tune
In the deepening political crisis, dissatisfaction with the state-funded music programme is growing as few musicians speak out against regime Venezuelas myself included paint a rather different picture. They point to performance at the 2007 BBC Proms in London. The programme began to be hailed globally as a miracle, a glorious project that transforms the lives of Venezuelas poorest children through classical music. And now, as the domestic political tensions around El Sistema dramatically increase, the same dynamic is playing out again. As Venezuelas political crisis has deepened and Gustavo Dudamel, whose high public profile, warm relations with top government […]
