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Evaluating the Legacy of President Hugo Chávez Using the Progressive Utilization Theory (Prout)

by Dada Maheshvarananda

Dada Maheshvarananda presenting a copy of his Prout book to President Hugo Chávez on June 1, 2003President Hugo Chávez dedicated his life to the poor people of Venezuela. He transformed their lives and transformed their country.

On March 6, the day after his death, I spent 11 hours waiting with friends to pay my respects as his body was slowly transported through the city. It took much longer than expected, as hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets and the giant stadium where the procession ended to get a glimpse of the passing casket. The crowds sang and clapped along with popular songs about “El Comandante”, shouting: "Chávez lives, the struggle continues!" "The people united will never be defeated!" “I am Chávez!” When the body finally arrived at night in the National Military Academy for viewing, the line of people waiting was more than two kilometers (one mile) long!

Why did so many people go? Why were they willing to wait so long? And instead of being a somber occasion with everyone dressed in black, why did so many wear bright red T-shirts, or headbands with the national colors, and why were they singing and shouting slogans?

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Listen to our new music video!

The Reloveutionaries music video ReLOVEutionaries— "Sueño Para Venezuela". Here's the music video of our debut song, "Dream for Venezuela", from our new album that we made on 01/04/15. The lyrics were composed to uplift the spirits of the people, and in fact it's becoming quite popular in Caracas. We want to share it with you. With Sélène Viallard, Thales Fortes, and Alejandro Balan. Please click and listen!
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“Feminist Contributions to the Good Life” by Dr. Alba Carosio

Alba Carosio “Feminist Contributions to the Good Life” by Dr. Alba Carosio, Director of Womens Studies Center of the Central Venezuela University (UCV) and author. Listen to the English audio file or audio file in Spanish. – Read the original Spanish presentation.
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From our archives: June 20, 2008

Daily Journal article June 20, 2008 The Daily Journal, an English language newspaper, published this article on June 20, 2008 about the inauguration of the Quinta Prout in Caracas. Read the full text...
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PRIV Starts a Citizen Consciousness Raising Campaign

Another Venezuela is possible, if you take part! This is the name of the citizen awareness campaign that began on Sunday May 14 in Caracas, organized by the Prout Research Institute of Venezuela.
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Sascha Bercovitch awarded Hoopes Prize for outstanding thesis on Bolivar Archive

"THE BOLIVAR ARCHIVE: Politicizing the Past in Venezuela, 1962-2010" by Alexander Philip Bercovitch Sascha Bercovitch Former Prout volunteer Sascha Bercovitch was awarded the prestigious Hoopes Prize for outstanding scholarly research in his undergraduate thesis: "THE BOLIVAR ARCHIVE: Politicizing the Past in Venezuela, 1962-2010" by Alexander Philip Bercovitch, thesis submitted to Harvard University for his degree in Latin American History. Download the pdf file, 148 pages. Dada Maheshvarananda says, "This is a really great work. Clear, well-written, it packs a lot of Venezuelan history and politics into this fascinating story." And the best news of all, in our opinion, is that Sascha is returning to Venezuela for another year! Harvard has given him a fellowship to study the political processes in the Caracas barrios from mid July 2014 to July 2015.
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“Hugo Chávez Rewrote the Textbook for Social Change: Activists should learn from both his successes and failures”

by Dada Maheshvarananda From an impoverished family, Hugo Chávez joined the army for a chance to play baseball, but soon came to love the service that gave the opportunity for advancement to anyone based on hard work and performance. Disgusted by the corruption, censorship and human rights abuses of the Venezuelan government, the young officer started a secret organization in the military, the Bolivarian Revolutionary Movement-200 (MBR-200), to overthrow the dictatorship. As one of the most popular teachers in the Venezuelan Military Academy, he recruited young officers for ten years. Caught red-handed twice and brought before a tribunal for subversion, Chávez managed to brazenly talk his way out of the charges both times. He was so successful that by the time he led a coup d’état in 1992 to overthrow President Carlos Andrés Pérez, he had 130 officers and nearly 900 soldiers under his command, approximately ten percent of the Venezuelan military.

Hugo_Rafael_Chávez_Frías Though the rebels came within a few meters of capturing Pérez, they failed. The military high command arrested Chávez and ordered him to tell the rest of his men to lay down their arms. Wearing his military uniform and red paratrooper beret, this unknown lieutenant-colonel was put in front of live television cameras for 72 seconds so that he could order all his men to surrender. What he said electrified the nation. Invoking the liberation hero Simón Bolívar, Chávez assumed full responsibility for the failure, which almost no Venezuelan leader had ever done before. Then he said that the objectives of this movement were not achieved "for now". As he went to prison, he had suddenly become a national hero to millions who realized that these soldiers were not hungry for power, rather they were risking their lives to save their country. A group of 62 retired generals ran full-page advertisements in newspapers attacking the government and supporting the coup leaders. In his cell Chávez began receiving hundreds of letters a week from supporters.

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First Global Prout Conference in Venezuela

"Invitation poster for 2011 Prout global conference in Caracas, Venezuela"

"Building a Solidarity Economy based on Ethics and Ecology", 7 - 9 July 2011, Centro Simón Bolívar de Parque Central, Caracas, Venezuela -- Free of charge

Economy, ecology, community health, indigenous rights, cooperatives, women's rights, and spiritual wisdom were presented by nationally and internationally recognized authorities at the "Building a Solidarity Economy based on Ethics and Ecology" conference in downtown Caracas. Approximately 400 people attended the three-day conference on July 7-9, 2011 organized by the Prout Research Institute of Venezuela. Twenty-nine speakers presented, representing 15 progressive non-government organizations, a government-owned bank, two large cooperatives, and four university professors.

MORNING PANEL PRESENTATIONS: Click on a title to see the translated transcript. Listen to the audio recordings of the English translations or original Spanish here

Panel 1: “Solidarity Economy in Latin America: Lessons and Possibilities from Venezuela, Brazil and Cuba”: Facilitator: Leopoldo Cook

1. Nora Castañeda, president of Banmujer,the Women’s Bank: “The Bank of Development of Women:A Grassroots Tool for the Construction of a Feminist Solidarity Economy.”

2. Claudio Nascimento, (Brazil) Historian, activist, popular educator, author of several essays on self-management and the Solidarity Economy. Cabinet member of President Lula da Silva, member of the National Secretariat for Solidarity Economy of President Dilma Rousseff: “The Solidarity Economy and Self-Management: Principle of Communal Power.”

3. Camila Piñeiro Harnecker: (Chile-Cuba) researcher and professor at the Center of Studies on the Cuban Economy, University of Havana: “Potentials and Risks of Cooperatives in Socialist Construction”.

4. Elvy Monzant, Dean of the School of Communication at the University Cecilio Acosta de Maracaibo, member of Gestión Participativa Cooperative: “Diagnosis and Perspectives of the Social and Solidarity Economy of Venezuela: Where are we and where are we going?”

5. Dada Maheshvarananda, monk, author, activist, director of the Prout Research Institute of Venezuela: "What is Prout?"

Panel 1 questions and answers.

Panel 2: “Consciousness, leadership and will: preserving our environment”: Facilitator: Leopoldo Cook

1. Belkys Urbina, Ecologist, Masters in Tecnology Management and Risk Control, and Masters in Industrial Maintenance: “The Planet and Consciousness”.

2. Chelo Nogueira, architect, founder of the Turtle Foundation: “Objective Earth”.

3. Frank Bracho, former Ambassador of Venezuela in India, ecologist and author: “Environment, Health and Happiness.”

4. Jody Wright (Acharya Devanistha) (USA), Prout activist for 35 years, studied under P.R. Sarkar: “Sadvipras: Prout’s vision of enlightened leaders.”

Panel 2 questions and answers

Panel 3: “Cooperatives: Diagnosis and Solutions in Building Economic Democracy”: Facilitator: Gustavo Fonseca

1. Prof. Carlos Molina Camacho, former National Superintendent of Cooperatives and Savings Banks, professor of cooperative law at UCV: “Simón Bolívar and Cooperativism” and “Prout and the creation of a socioeconomic system that reconciles justice with freedom”

2. Lizeth Vargas and Dario Gonzalez, CECOSESOLA–Lara State Central Cooperative: “Building Here and Now the World that we Want.”

3. Prof. Benito Díaz, Editor of CAYAPA (Venezuelan Journal of Social Economy), Venezuela Board of CIRIEC, Professor at the Universidad de Los Andes – Trujillo: “Innovation in Organizations of the Social Economy.”

4. Dada Jinanananda, (Congo-Brasil) Yoga monk: “Spirituality and Social Change”

Panel 3 questions and answers

Panel 4: “Ethics for Personal and Social Transformation”: Facilitator: Nieves Pino, economist, social worker

1. Sandra Castillo Castro Delegada UCV to the Organization of American States, and member of the Economic Advisory Committee of AnimaNaturalis Internacional, and Luís Verdú Brito president of the Student Center of Economic Faculty of UCV: “Economic Trends Towards the Ethical Treatment of Animals”

2. Víctor "Vyasa" Landa, (Peru) founder of the School of Life, Shanti Yoga Center for Harmony in Bethesda, Maryland, USA: “Aparigraha: A New Economic Paradigm for a Culture of Peace.”

3. Juan Sarmiento, (Philippines-Venezuela) psychologist, lecturer, business consultant, founder of the Will of Excellence Foundation: "Human Excellence: Seven Keys to Success and Happiness."

Panel 4 questions and answers

Panel 5: “The Creative Force of Community: Women, Identity, Health and Consciousness.”: Facilitator: Lelia Delgado, anthropologist, author

1. Didi Ananda Sadhana, (Netherlands-Venezuela) Director, Centro Madre, Barlovento, Venezuela: “The Importance of Cultural Identity to Empower People: The Example of Barlovento.”

2. Dr. Alba Carosio, Director of Womens Studies Center of UCV, author: “Feminist Contributions to the Good Life.”

3. Maya Shita, General Coordinator of the Warao Tribe, leader of the El Moriche indigenous community: “Living Together in One World.”

4. Dr. Adalberto Barreto, (Brazil) psychiatrist, anthropologist, theologian: “Community Therapy: supportive social networks to promote Life”

5. Leopoldo Cook, former telecommunications chief of PDVSA, columnist, author, member of Board of Director of PRIV: “The Awakening of Consciousness: Prout and Socialism, Face-to-face.”

José Albarrán of the Prout Research Institute of Venezuela: "Closing Remarks".

Panel 5 questions and answers

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October 2015 newsletter: teaching innovative agriculture, holistic development, fun cooperative games, and more

PRIVEN Newsletter Oct 2015 Read all.
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“The Solidarity Economy and Self-Management: Principle of Communal Power” by Claudio Nascimento

Claudio Nascimento “The Solidarity Economy and Self-Management: Principle of Communal Power” by Claudio Nascimento, (Brazil) Historian, activist, popular educator, author of several essays on self-management and the Solidarity Economy. Cabinet member of President Lula da Silva, member of the National Secretariat for Solidarity Economy of President Dilma Rousseff. Listen to the audio file in English or audio file in Portuguese and Spanish. - Read the Spanish translation.
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Contact Us

Quinta PROUT #11-20, Calle Terapaima con Mosen Sol, final Colegio María Santísima,
adyacente al CEMS, Urbanización El Marques,
Caracas 1070, Venezuela
Tel. (0212) 283.86.65, (0212) 886.23.23
ivip[at]prout.org

New book

After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action

After Capitalism

Another Life is Possible:

Cooperatives in Barlovento, Venezuela

Prout Research Institute of Venezuela – 2007

View video here.

Another Life is Possible

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    • Visitor Testimonies
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