Latin America

Op-Ed: What Exhumation Means For A Legacy

3:34pm April 15, 2013

Chilean poet Pablo Neruda was exhumed in early April, with the goal of discovering whether the poet's death was from prostate cancer or poison. In a The New York Times op-ed, Amherst College professor Ilan Stavans argues that Neruda's legacy is more important than the way he died.

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Street Artists Protest Status Quo In Haiti

4:52pm April 14, 2013

by Reese Erlich

Haiti's Resistance Artists create street sculptures — huge metal configurations that speak to the devastation following the 2010 earthquake and the stark separation between the country's rich and poor. Reese Erlich

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World News

Even In Death, Chavez Dominates Venezuelan Election

9:59pm April 13, 2013

by Juan Forero

Former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who died last month, is supporting Nicolas Maduro in Sunday's presidential election. How do we know? Maduro says Chavez came to him, as a bird, in a dream. For some Venezuelans, that's enough: Maduro leads the race by a considerable margin.

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Alvaro Perez volunteers as a DJ at a socialist party stand in Caracas, Venezuela, playing songs in support of candidate Nicolas Maduro.

The Music Of The Venezuelan Presidential Campaigns

10:07pm April 12, 2013

by Jasmine Garsd

In Caracas, emotions run high and there's noise to match. Supporters of both major candidates for Venezuela's president have created soundtracks that are a constant presence on the city's streets.

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Venezuelan author Romulo Gallegos (1884-1969), circa 1950.

Oil, Chavez And Telenovelas: The Rise Of The Venezuelan Novel

10:55am April 12, 2013

by Marcela Valdes

Although Venezuela has a rich literary culture, its writers remain largely unknown outside of the country. Marcela Valdes traces the intersection of literature and politics in the large Caribbean nation, showing the forces that have kept Venezuelan writers from getting the praise they deserve.

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World News

How Chavez Changed Venezuela's Telenovelas

10:55am April 12, 2013

by Jasmine Garsd

Morning Edition has been reporting from Venezuela this week about the legacy of the late President Hugo Chavez. During the two years Chavez spent in prison for an attempted coup in 1992, he never missed an episode of his favorite soap opera. But Chavez had his own drama with the industry.

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World News

What's At Stake In Elections In Venezuela And Pakistan

2:16pm April 11, 2013

Presidential elections are on the horizon for Venezuela and Pakistan, and with them could come big changes. Venezuelans vote Sunday, their second time at the polls in the last year, and Pakistan's general election will be held on May 11.

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World News

Venezuela's Next Leader Faces Tough Choice On Oil Program

10:59am April 11, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

During his presidency, Hugo Chavez gave Venezuelan consumers cheap gasoline. He propped up the Cuban regime, and he offered oil on preferential terms to 18 regional countries. But Chavez died before he had to confront the economic and political problems certain to plague his successor.

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Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles waves to supporters during a campaign rally in Valencia, Venezuela, on Tuesday. The country's voters go to the polls this weekend to choose a successor to longtime leader Hugo Chavez, who died

World News

Venezuelan Candidates Campaign In Chavez's Long Shadow

8:16pm April 10, 2013

by Juan Forero

Hugo Chavez won't be on the ballot in Sunday's presidential election, but in many ways he's still the dominant figure. Chavez's hand-picked successor is favored over the opposition candidate, leading by double digits in some polls.

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Hugo Chavez, shown here in February 2012, was the president of Venezuela for over a decade. His career is the subject of a new book by Rory Carrolll.

'Comandante' Chavez Still Revered By Some, Despite Failings

9:42am April 10, 2013

by NPR Staff

As a journalist with Britain's The Guardian newspaper, Rory Carroll spent seven years living in Venezuela. His new book on Venezuela's recently deceased president explores Hugo Chavez's popularity with the poor and critiques his failures in governance and management.

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