Street art showing Simon Bolivar wearing a balaclava next to a banner that reads: "Bolivar, father of the American Rebellion." Art: Comando Creativo.
Caracas, July 24, 2022 (OrinocoTribune.com)—This Sunday, July 24, Venezuela celebrated the 239th anniversary of the Liberator SimĂłn BolĂvar’s birth. On the occasion, the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro highlighted BolĂvar’s vision of freedom and unity for Latin America, as BolĂvar was the founding father not only of Venezuela but also of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. One of Bolivar’s biggest dreams was to unite the former Spanish colonies, from Argentina to Mexico, including the Caribbean, through what today is known as Patria Grande [Great Homeland].
“The drums sound, the harp too, and the tricolor [the Venezuelan flag] shines in each neighborhood and community to celebrate the birth of our Liberator, SimĂłn BolĂvar,” wrote Maduro on Twitter. “We can say with pride: Father! We are fulfilling your dreams of liberty and unity. Your work was not in vain. Long live BolĂvar!”
Suenan los tambores, el arpa y el tricolor brilla en cada barrio y comunidad para celebrar el natalicio de nuestro Libertador SimĂłn BolĂvar. Con profundo orgullo podemos decir: ¡Padre! Estamos cumpliendo tus sueños libertarios y de uniĂłn. ¡No araste en el mar! ¡Viva BolĂvar! pic.twitter.com/wJXg8MyyP8
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) July 24, 2022
Officials from all over the nation paid tribute to the Liberator at the National Pantheon throughout the morning. As has been the case with several other recent ceremonies which are usually attended by the President, Maduro did not make an appearance at this event. Some analysts have tried to explain that his absence is the result of terrorist threats, mentioned by Maduro himself, which have been traced back to the outgoing Colombian president, Iván Duque, who is obsessed with ousting President Maduro, be it through legal or illegal means.
The ceremony began at the National Pantheon, where SimĂłn BolĂvar’s remains are kept, with the hoisting of the Venezuelan flag by Minister of Interior Admiral Remigio Ceballos.
During his speech, Ceballos traced the historic trajectory of BolĂvar’s life, highlighting how his legacy was rescued from oblivion by Commander Hugo Chávez. “He [Hugo Chavez] magnified it in its fair measure and recorded it forever in the imagination of the Venezuelan people,” said Ceballos.
Ceballos stressed that the Liberator was more than a liberal thinker, as he inaugurated a new era and brought the Spanish empire—which spanned the globe—to its feet. “As a political doctrine of indisputable, irreducible and indestructible transcendence, his life is the most exciting story of struggle, effort, drama, defeats, triumphs, glories,” he said.
Vice President Delcy RodrĂguez, Comptroller General Elvis Amoroso, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino and the General Commander of the Bolivarian Navy, Admiral Alexander JosĂ© Velázquez Bastidas were all present, along with Minister of Education Yelitze Santaella and Minister of Culture Ernesto Villegas, among other members of the cabinet.
Vice President RodrĂguez expressed how BolĂvar is an inspiration for Venezuela. “Heirs of his glory and greatness, we pay homage to the greatest and most universal man in our history, the Liberator, SimĂłn BolĂvar,” she wrote on Twitter. “Today, 239 years after his birth, he is the inspiration, driving force, and soul of the Great Homeland. We make his virtues ours in defense of Venezuela.”
đź“° #Importante || Mensaje del ciudadano GJ Vladimir Padrino LĂłpez, con motivo del 239° Aniversario del Natalicio del Padre Libertador, 199° de la Batalla Naval del Lago y DĂa de la Armada Bolivariana.
Enlace: https://t.co/PM0bdD5Y7b#VivaElLibertadorBolĂvar #FelizDomingo #24Jul pic.twitter.com/WKtcoT6OpU— Prensa FANB (@PrensaFANB) July 24, 2022
Defense Minister Padrino also offered commemorative words in honor of BolĂvar as well as the 199th anniversary of the naval battle at Maracaibo Lake and the Day of the Bolivarian Navy. “With his birth, 239 years ago, the hope of the dispossessed was born—the hope of blacks, browns, mestizos and indigenous people who responded to the call to join the emancipatory cause, fighting against the tyranny that had oppressed and subjugated our America for more than 300 years,” he said during a speech that was later posted by the Venezuelan National Armed Force (FANB).
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Regarding the Maracaibo Lake Naval Battle on July 24, 1823, he noted how that victory meant the breaking “of the oppressive chains of the Spanish empire.”
“Such a feat, an icon in naval action, marked the Day of the Bolivarian Navy,” he added.
The Navy Day celebrations
In the afternoon, a ceremony was held at the Venezuelan Navy School at Mamo, La Guaira state, to celebrate the Day of the Venezuelan Navy on the occasion of the 199th anniversary of the Maracaibo Lake Battle.
The ceremony was led by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino while President Nicolás Maduro made a speech via video conference in honor of the Navy.
“Our Liberator turns 239 years old, today more relevant than ever, today more present in his example, today inspired and inspiring millions of men and women in his homeland, Venezuela, and throughout our America to fight that battle which we have to fight, for independence, for dignity and for freedom in the 21st century,” the president said in reference to what many call the second independence: independence from any form of imperialism.
“It is no coincidence that he [BolĂvar] is recognized by all the peoples of our America and by the peoples of the world as the greatest of all Americans of all centuries… The Liberator today has more strength, more validity and more energy than ever before, in these times of active resistance, of perfect civic-military-police union, in this day of rebirth of our country and its values, in this day of revolutionary changes necessary for the future,” added President Maduro.
Special by Orinoco Tribune’s staff
OT/JRE/KW/SC
