Venezuela Aid Live
Venezuela Aid Live was a benefit concert hosted by British billionaire Richard Branson on February 22, 2019 at Cúcuta , Colombia . It was based on the concert for Bangladesh and Live Aid . According to the organizer, at least 32 artists were invited.
Organizer and venue
On February 14, 2019 Richard Branson announced via YouTube on February 22, 2019, the Venezuela Live Aid concert in Cucuta on the border with Venezuela on. With free admission, a paid internet stream and the sale of recordings were supposed to raise 100 million US dollars in donations within 60 days and to build pressure on the government of Nicolas Maduro to open the Venezuelan borders to humanitarian aid from abroad. According to Branson, the self-appointed interim president of Venezuela Juan Guaidó and his party friend Leopoldo López asked him for this support for the needy population in Venezuela on January 23, 2019 . Critics recognized a political instrumentalization to initiate a system change in Venezuela.
The event was originally planned near the Simon Bolivar International Bridge, southeast of Cúcuta. The site was moved to the access road to the Tienditas Bridge , which was completed in February 2016 , but which was first barricaded by Colombia due to a political conflict between the two countries and has also been closed by the Venezuelan side since February 2019.
Artist
According to the organizer , at least 32 artists , presented by Ricardo Montaner , should perform, including Juanes , Carlos Vives , Lele Pons , Maluma , Juan Fernando Fonseca (Colombia), Reynaldo Armas , Carlos Baute , Chyno , Jorge Glem , Mau y Ricky , Nacho , Danny Ocean , Reymar Perdomo , José Luis Rodríguez González (aka El Puma) (Venezuela), Luis Fonsi (Puerto Rico), Anitta (Brazil) and Diego Torres (Argentina).
The former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel , originally announced by Richard Branson, did not participate in Venezuela Aid Live .
Guests
Among the VIP guests were Juan Guaidó, Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera , Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez and the President of Paraguay , Mario Abdo Benítez .
Concert attendance
In the run-up to the organization of the Venezuela Aid Live Event, the organizers announced expected attendance figures of 150,000 and 300,000, the latter from Richard Branson himself. The nearby city of Cúcuta has around 700,000 inhabitants. About the actual number of visitors on the grounds on February 22nd - a working day, the concert started at 11 a.m. and officially ended at 4 p.m. - there are widely disparate numbers. This despite the evaluation of aerial photographs taken during the event. The range of the numbers spread is between "tens of thousands" and 317,000 visitors. The latter number was distributed by Billboard magazine during the concert and is allegedly based on information “according to authorities”. These were taken up unchecked by the news agencies. It is noticeable for such a mega-event that almost no aerial photographs with an overview of the concert site were distributed. Later, according to contrary reports, the number of visitors was simply left out.
Venezuela Aid Live logo
The Venezuela Aid Live logo , a purple silhouette of Venezuela, also includes the controversial border area of Guayana Esequiba , where oil deposits are located.
Backlash from Venezuela
In response to Venezuela Aid Live , the government of Nicolás Maduro scheduled a competing concert on February 22 and 23, 2019 on the Venezuelan side of the border at the Simón Bolívar Bridge under the slogan "Nothing for War, Hands Off of Venezuela ”. This event was then also moved to the entrance to the Tieditas Bridge, which in this case was opposite, so that both concerts took place at a distance of about 300 meters from each other. With around 2,500 visitors on the first day, the interest was significantly lower. A prominent guest at the event, which was extended to three days, was the President of the “Constituent Assembly” established by Maduro to disempower parliament, Diosdado Cabello .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Billionaire Branson and Venezuela's government plan concerts , derstandard.at on February 20, 2019
- ^ Roger Waters condemns Richard Branson's Venezuela aid concert. theguardian.com, accessed February 21, 2019.
- ↑ Controversy over fake news - what is really behind this photo? , derwesten.de from February 12, 2019
- ↑ a b Venezuela Crisis Prompts Plans for Dueling Concerts on Border , nytimes.com, February 19, 2019
- ↑ Press Realease , venezuelaaidlive.com, accessed on February 21, 2019 (English)
- ↑ Estos son los artistas que participarán en el Venezuela Live Aid el-nacional.com, accessed on February 21, 2019 (Spanish)
- ↑ A look at rival Branson vs Maduro concerts for Venezuela , kdwn.com from February 20, 2019 (English)
- ↑ Venezuela Aid Live: Why is Branson being told to 'back off'? , bbc.com of February 20, 2019 (English)
- ↑ Starving population. Branson is planning aid concert for Venezuela , spiegel.de on February 14, 2019
- ↑ a b “Venezuela Aid Live”: Guaidó attends a benefit concert in Colombia despite the travel ban. NZZ , February 23, 2019, accessed on the same day.
- ↑ Venezuela Aid Live: se inician preparativos del concierto en la frontera y declaran día cívico y alerta amarilla hospitalaria en Cúcuta , cnnespanol.cnn.com of February 20, 2019
- ^ Richard Branson espera que concierto en Cúcuta salve vidas en Venezuela , elcomercio.pe of February 19, 2019
- ^ Richard Branson espera que concierto en Cúcuta salve vidas en Venezuela , elcomercio.pe of February 19, 2019
- ^ Power struggle in Venezuela. Military fires tear gas at protesters , Tagesschau from February 23, 2019
- ^ Musical border battles , daily newspaper from February 23, 2019
- ↑ 200,000 or 10,000? WaPo deletes inflated Venezuela Aid Live attendance figure from its website , rt.com com February 25, 2019
- ↑ “Juan has come! Juan has come! ” Süddeutsche Zeitung , February 23, 2019, accessed on the same day.
- ↑ Venezuelan army used tear gas against demonstrators. Der Standard , February 23, 2019, accessed on the same day.
- ^ Image with text on the article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung of February 23, 2019, accessed on the same day.