By Manal Abdel Fattah
Today, Sunday, the Venezuelan Embassy in Cairo celebrated the 214th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the 22nd anniversary of Commander Hugo Chavez’s return to power following the failure of the coup.
On this occasion, the Venezuelan Ambassador to Cairo, Wilmer Barrientos, delivered a speech in which he said:
With the Declaration of Independence that was launched in Caracas on April 19, 1810, the revolutionary movement began that formed the historical process of final secession in the majority of Latin American cities that were colonies of the Spanish Crown at that time.
This first official step led Venezuela to declare itself a free and sovereign nation that would give rise to a new republic at the Assembly of Nations on July 5, 1811, when Venezuela’s full independence was officially declared to the world.
The revolution of April 19, 1810 marked the beginning of a long process led by the genius of the liberator Simón Bolívar, which lasted two decades of bloody wars, only after defeats in the battles of Boyaca (1819), Carabobo (1821), Pichincha (1822), Junin (1824) and Ayacucho (1824). Imperial Spain decided to withdraw permanently from the American continent.
April 19, 1810 was an important point in the history of Venezuela and Latin America, as it was the product of multiple events that preceded the historic act of declaring independence.
The independence movement reached its peak and was the result of centuries of resistance waged by the indigenous peoples of America against European invasion and colonization.
It was also fueled by the uprisings of our brothers of African descent against the barbarism represented by the inhuman system of slavery, as well as the previous movements of national forces that persistently wanted to put an end to the relationship of colonial dependency and establish their own identity, thus ending 300 years of submission and oppression.
The revolutionary movement of April 19, 1810, which took Caracas as a center for the cry for freedom and independence in Latin America, was influenced by the “Age of Enlightenment” with intellectual transformations reinforced by Enlightenment and encyclopedic ideas that led to the outbreak of a major global revolution, as was the case with the French Revolution in 1810. 1789 and the Haitian Revolution, which allowed the establishment of the first independent republic on our American continent on January 1, 1804.
At the present historical moment, in the midst of threats and blockades resulting from unilateral coercive measures illegally imposed by the United States, a corrupt imperialist power, after 211 years of complete and irreversible independence, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela affirms to the world its firm position on defense. On sacred national sovereignty in the face of any circumstance, if “imperialism raises its voice, follow the example set by Caracas.”
We are a people who are aware that with work and effort we are moving towards a better future, a tomorrow full of work, unity and economic prosperity, preserving the courage of the heroes of our independence in defending our peace and sovereignty, and our tireless struggle against imperialism.
As a sign of our determination, last week we also recalled the fateful date of April 11, 2002, marking 22 years since the fascist coup that sealed the fate of the Bolivarian Revolution and cemented our full and irrevocable commitment to the freedom and sovereignty of the nation.
The fascist coup took place on April 11, 2002 against the legitimate government of Commander Hugo Chavez, and through its civil and military unity, the people were able to save their democracy in the following days.
The Venezuelan fascist right, with the support of the United States government, attacked our democracy, and on that day, telecommunications companies and imperialist agents unleashed violence against our people.
However, only two days later the return of Commander-in-Chief Hugo Chavez to power was confirmed, after the failure of the Edo-orchestrated coup, which was a strong reflection of the democratic consciousness and courage of the noble Venezuelan people continuing to reject the ambitions of imperialism.
In April 2002, the mission of the warmongers was to lie and kill a conscious people, but the people turned this anger into action, and their resolve turned into feelings of appreciation for those women and men who gave their lives not to let the sovereign republic die.
These were the glorious people of Bolívar in April 2002, and today, 22 years later, we continue with the same strength, conviction and dignity.
For this reason, we pay tribute to the noble Venezuelan people and the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, which on April 13, 2002 defended democracy, in a civil-military union, and constitutionally established the rule of law against fascism.
Today we also celebrate the Day of Saving National Dignity and the fifteenth anniversary of the Bolivarian Militia, because on that important date, the entire city became the heroine of this story full of dignity and deep love for the homeland, a people who demanded respect for democracy and sovereignty.
Millions of our fellow citizens took to the streets to save our leader Chavez, defeated the fascist coup, and ordinary men and women restored constitutional order with dignity, courage and conscience.
April 13 will remain engraved in everyone’s memory as the day the Venezuelan people defeated the coup and saved Chavez, democracy and the Bolivarian revolution. On this day of national dignity, we celebrate a victory that will not be taken from us again.
It was a popular gesture that made the actors of the 2002 coup retreat, thus thwarting the designs of imperialism that sought to destroy the Bolivarian project.
Today, 22 years later, we preserve the peace and constitutionality of our nation, as the Bolivarian Revolution is more stable and victorious than ever, and we continue to move forward and shape the victorious future of the noble Venezuelan people.
This people, who have popular will, will respond to the invitation sent by the National Elections Council to participate in the corresponding presidential elections on July 28, 2024 in the period from 2025-2031, a process that the electoral authority continues to implement, completely and without delay, while adhering to the planned timetable.
