It’s been a long time since Rosa Macaulay’s been home, seen her brothers and sisters and revisited childhood memories in her hometown. It’s not that she doesn’t want to return. It’s that she can’t.
Gang violence, government instability, severe shortages of basic goods, a poverty rate of 96 per cent and massive unemployment in Venezuela have kept her in Fredericton.
Her birth country has been the victim of its own success. When oil was discovered a century ago, the country grew exponentially, but in the wrong way — becoming almost totally dependent on one export while failing to build its infrastructure and diversify its economy. A succession of military dictators, corruption and unstable world oil markets put it in a precarious position.
Then a socialist president, Hugo Chavez, who promised so much, evolved into an authoritarian who took power for himself from every institution. He died in 2013, leaving more unrest and instability that has only worsened.
So the country with the largest oil reserves in the world cannot feed, educate or care for its own people, cannot maintain law and order and cannot sell most of its oil due to sanctions imposed by many countries. That is why Rosa stays in Fredericton.
%20Color%20-%20PNG%20-%20reduced.png)
