In Venezuela, Hugo Chávez Is Gone, But Still Watching

Almost four years after the death of Hugo Chávez, he continues to watch over Venezuela’s capital. The eyes of the former president have become political propaganda. An abstracted image of them is spreading across Caracas, especially in the Gran Misión Vivienda Venezuela (GMVV), a massive public-housing initiative begun in 2011 for those affected by the heavy rains that hit the country that year. The motif was born during the 2012 presidential campaign, the idea of a member of Chávez’s campaign organization named José Miguel España. Since then, as life in Venezuela has become increasingly fragile, the image has become an important tool for Chávez’s embattled successor, Nicolás Maduro. After Maduro came to power in 2013, the eyes started appearing not just on t-shirts, flags, and banners, but on the fabric of the city itself—billboards, walls, and even the facades of public buildings. More…