Three hundred artists, journalists, writers, musicians and activists of social movements participated. The presence of interim president Nicolas Maduro was expected by midday.

The participants from all over the world were grouped in five work teams in order to approve a document in support of the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela, in particular in terms of territorial sovereignty and regional integration.

One of the groups is called “Defense, expansion and consolidation of national Independence”. Another group focuses on “the 21st century socialism” as an alternative to the wild capitalism model. One of the group discusses “Food and communication sovereignty”, and there is one on “Venezuela’s role in the construction of Latin American unity”.

The meeting takes place three weeks ahead of the country’s presidential elections called after Hugo Chavez’s death on March 5th. Religious authorities (ecumenical, Lutherans and evangelists) from different Latin American countries participated along with journalists and communicators from independent and community media.

Argentinean journalist Luis Bilbao led the panel in charge of “creating a new international geopolitical scenario that will lead to a multicentered and pluripolar world that ensures global peace”.

In his address, he described the crisis within capitalism in the US and the European Union, saying there is also a strong opposition force building up. He mentioned the possibility that the southern powers like Brazil, India, China and Russia (so called BRICS) represent the alternative to the crisis.

“Capitalism is the same system all over the world” said Bilbao.

The Argentinean journalist who runs the monthly publication America XXI, said Chavez managed to understand the crisis, to be several steps ahead of chaos and to place Venezuela and Latin America ahead of the crisis of capitalism.

Meanwhile, Venezuela is mobilized in the run-up to the elections set to take place on April 14. A sweeping victory of Nicolas Maduro is expected to continue with the social, structural, economic and political change began fifteen years ago by the Bolivarian Revolution.

Communicators from social movements are also arriving in Caracas to cover the elections that will have key geopolitical repercussions in the region.

Photo: Real World Radio