Post #1415

Venezuela has always been exposed to the US’ hegemonic culture. Its reach when it comes to fashion, movies, music, etc. is huge, and on some occasions this becomes very visible. It is a consequence of our proximity, of the global dominance of the US cultural industry, and also a direct consequence of our all-important oil industry. For example, it was around the oilfields that people started playing baseball. Later, when a new class found itself flush with money, it did nothing more than imitate the consumer practices from the North. I’m bringing up these things because right now, as Christmas approaches, the streets of Caracas are decorated with giant, lit polar bears, some dressed as Santa Claus, others looking like they came straight out of a Coca-Cola commercial. Not just that, every Christmas decoration I have seen in our parks, highways, plazas, etc. seems carbon copied from what you would find in a US city. And Christmas traditions are in no short supply in Venezuela. We could represent the instruments used in the aguinaldos, parrandas and gaitas (traditional music genres) which are unique to our country and a familiar soundtrack in December. https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/tales-of-resistance-polar-bears-and-transculturation/