LOS ANGELES – When the results of the election in Venezuela were announced in late July, Ariana Gonzalez felt a wave of fear shoot through her body.
She is watching with fear the images of the protests that have broken out in the country over allegations of electoral fraud.
The Venezuelan native immigrated to the United States seven years ago. She recounted how she earned a college degree in communications in Venezuela, but said economic reality dashed those dreams when it became clear she couldn’t pursue a professional career.
“There was no future for me in Venezuela,” Gonzalez said in Spanish.
Since moving to Los Angeles two years ago, she has been practicing sound baths, which are not only a way for her to relieve stress but also a source of income.
She says the adjustment has been tough, trying to make ends meet on her own while also earning enough to send to her parents and grandparents who are still at home.
“Without the (money) I send them, they would have nothing to eat,” Gonzalez said.
Although both of her parents work, the economic situation makes it impossible for her to survive.
The situation appears to have worsened further in the most recent presidential election at the end of July. The country’s electoral authority concluded that incumbent Nicolás Maduro had prevailed over rival candidate Edmundo González (no relation to Ariana González).
Maduro, candidate of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, has been in power since 2013.
Edmundo Gonzalez and the opposition party United Democratic Platform have now published post-election polls that supposedly give them victory.
The power struggle has been brewing for a decade now, says Alex Main, director of international policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
“The enormous contrast between these two versions of the result is completely irreconcilable. And that has led to a major crisis, including very large protests after the vote and then reported violence from both sides, but also widespread arrests of opposition activists,” Main said.
He says the international community is also paying attention.
“Some countries, notably Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, are calling for dialogue and the publication of detailed results by electoral authorities. But it is not clear whether any of these things will happen in the near future,” Main said.
The situation in the country has also contributed to the mass exodus of Venezuelans for years. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, almost eight million Venezuelans have left their homes since 2014 in response to the unrest. Many of them have fled to nearby countries in South America and also to the United States.
“The sanctions that were imposed under the Trump administration are largely still in place and I would say they are a major factor behind this migration that has become a big issue,” Main said.
For Gonzalez, who is already here, the distance from her loved ones feels greater during these times, so she wanted to help unite Venezuelans at home and abroad, which is why she is sharing her sound bath practice through an Instagram livestream she is hosting on Wednesday.
“I hope that the people of Venezuela can come together and join this practice to be calmer and connect with a peaceful energy for Venezuela,” Gonzalez said.
