Caracas, Venezuela Prepares for CELAC Founding Conference

Caracas, Venezuela Prepares for CELAC Founding Conference

By TAMARA PEARSON

Mérida, November 30th 2011 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – Increased security, a range of cultural events, and a declared public holiday are some of the preparations underway in Caracas for the founding conference of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to be held there at the end of the week. CELAC is an organisation the Venezuelan government hopes will counter the Organisation of American States (OAS).

The CELAC unites all independent countries of the Americas except the United States and Canada. Moves for its formation began in February 2010 at a Latin American and Caribbean Unity Summit in Mexico just eight months after the coup against Honduran President Manuel Zelaya.

The founding summit was going to be held on 5 July this year, to coincide with Venezuela’s celebration of 200 years since its Declaration of Independence, but was suspended due to President Hugo Chavez’s health. It will now be held on 2 and 3 December.

Venezuelan foreign minister Nicolas Maduro said the founding conference will discuss five key topics: the formal establishment of CELAC as an organisation, including its decision-making process and political structure; energy independence; social development, including food, health, and education policies; environmental development and the prevention of climate change; and the world economic crisis and its consequences, as well as independence from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. (MORE)

http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/6662
(my emphasis)

-------------------------

Very important event!



-------

Just a note on one of the celebrations around the CELAC meeting:

"Venezuela’s Youth Symphonic Orchestra, lead by renowned conductor Gustavo Dudamel, as well as the famous Puerto Rican band Calle 13, reggae singer Julian Marley- son of Bob Marley, Cuban group Buena Fe, and other Latin American groups will perform in a free concert on Saturday to celebrate CELAC." --from the OP

If you haven't seen/heard a concert of Venezuela's Youth Symphonic Orchestra, live or on a recording, I urge you to do so. It has been hailed by European, American and other music critics as "the salvation of classical music." This is truly an extraordinary orchestra, but what is even more amazing--in addition to the talent and verve of these young orchestral players--is that many of them were street urchins, living in the direst of poverty, and--along with thousands of other Venezuelan children, most of them very poor--were given their own instruments at a very early age and enticed into "El Systema," a system of education that stresses cooperation (orchestral playing). The students rave about the program, which was started by an individual musician with private donations but is now largely funded by the government and has spread far and wide throughout Venezuela and in other countries (including the U.S.). It also now has a brand new concert hall in Caracas. This orchestra literally makes you weep with awe at the potential of human beings to be "in tune" with each other and to use our talents and intelligence in common cause--a quality of human life and of human potential that has been crippled in our own society and needs a rebirth.