Venezuela Aid Live
Music for Venezuela: Aid and Freedom),[2] was organized by Richard Branson and Bruno Ocampo, and featured over thirty of the best known Latin American artists[3] from nine countries.[17] Near the end of 2018—before the Venezuelan presidential crisis when Juan Guaidó swore an oath to serve as interim president—the Maduro government said aid from other countries would be coordinated through the UN.[3] Images of the Tienditas Bridge, joining Colombia and Venezuela at Cúcuta, have come to symbolize the crisis because the "Venezuelan government blocked it with shipping containers".[7] Six weeks later, Branson wrote to Ocampo, inquiring about ways to help Venezuela, and by 30 January, they had made contact with interim president Guaidó and his mentor Leopoldo López.[7] Branson announced on 14 February 2019 that his inspiration to organize the benefit concert was Guaidó and Lopez asking for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Venezuela.[29][31] The aircraft flying in musicians and producers were quickly cleared through airports by Colombia,[7] and a civic holiday was declared for the city of Cúcuta on the day of the concert.[38] In a move that tested Maduro's authority, he was met by Colombian president Iván Duque, and welcomed by a crowd chanting, "Juan arrived![39] Piñera said he was at the concert to demonstrate solidarity with the people of Venezuela, to help them recover democracy under the leadership of Guaidó, and to support the collection and distribution of humanitarian aid.[1] Most of the 31 performers[a] were Venezuelan and Colombian; they were joined by artists from Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden and the United States.[45] The Venezuela Live Aid organization issued a press release, in which they apologized for not being able to accommodate all of the artists who wanted to participate, asked for their understanding, and said they hoped to do more benefit concerts in the future."[34] After Torres performance, Mexican motivational speaker Daniel Habif took the stage to give what Milenio called the "most moving moment of the concert".[55] Rolling Stone magazine said the musical production "left much to be desired due to technical difficulties, issues with instruments, the overuse of backing tracks and the crowd being excessively far from the stage", while acknowledging that Branson had succeeded in bringing world attention to the effort.[53] In an article entitled "Eight memorable phrases of Venezuela Aid Live" (Spanish: Ocho frases memorables del Venezuela Aid Live), National Radio of Colombia (RNC) said that concert-goers enjoyed a sunny day with no significant inconveniences, and highlighted the inspirational words of Carlos Baute twice, Miguel Bosé, Silvestre Dangond, Paulina Rubio, and Diego Torres,[34] in addition to the words of Wendy Villamizar and the speech by motivational speaker Daniel Habif.[64][65] The Maduro government responded by saying it would hold a rival concert on the Venezuelan side of the border[11][66][67] at the Simón Bolívar International Bridge on 22 and 23 February,[68][69] with a proposed slogan of "Nothing for war, hands off Venezuela".[71] He also said the government would distribute 20,000 boxes of subsidized food from the Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP)—a program from which, according to the Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz, Maduro personally profits[b]—to the poor residents of Cúcuta."[81] Colombia's National Radio reported that Las Chicas del Can from the Dominican Republic said statements that they would participate were "fake news", and asked that their fans spread word on social media to deny the claim.[82] A spokesperson for Colombia's Grupo Niche was reported by LA FM Colombian radio station to have denied the invitation to present, expressing concern about the humanitarian situation in Venezuela.[80][81] Omar Enrique, a Venezuelan singer who according to NTN24 was denied entry into Colombia a few weeks before the concert because of alleged ties to chavismo,[88] rejected what he called United States' "military intervention" and regretted that other commitments kept him from participating."[91] According to El Universal, Colombian immigration official, Christian Krüger Sarmiento, said the government of Maduro had a "manifest interest" in affecting our "national security in the face of the events that are about to take place".
Guayana EsequibaTienditas BridgeCúcutaColombiaCoordinatesBenefit concertRichard Bransonconcert to benefitVenezuelaNicolás MadurolivestreamedCrisis in Venezuelashortages in VenezuelaEl TiempoHugo ChávezhyperinflationshortagesNational Assembly of VenezuelaVenezuelan presidential crisisJuan GuaidóVenezuela–Colombia migrant crisisLeopoldo LópezThe Concert for BangladeshLive AidSimon Bolivar International BridgeYouTubeNational Radio of ColombiaIván DuqueSebastián PiñeraMario Abdo BenítezLuis AlmagroOrganization of American StatesJuanesFacebookCaterina ValentinoErika de la VegaLele PonsLuis ChataingPatricia VelásquezPatricia ZavalaHannah StockingJuanpa ZuritaAlejandro SanzAlessoCamilo EcheverryCarlos BauteCarlos VivesDanny OceanDiego TorresFonsecaJencarlos CanelaJorge VillamizarJosé Luis RodríguezJuan Luis GuerraLuis FonsiMalumaMau y RickyMiguel BoséPaulina RubioReynaldo ArmasRicardo MontanerSantiago CruzSilvestre DangondFranco de VitaMichelle BacheletShakiraRolling Stoneattempts to bring aid shipments into VenezuelaRoger WatersClarínSean PennSpanishPricewaterhouseCoopersSimón Bolívar International BridgeUnited Socialist Party of VenezuelaDarío VivasJorge RodríguezLocal Committees for Supply and ProductionAttorney GeneralLuisa Ortega DíazBersuit VergarabatSerenata GuayanesaLas Chicas del CanGrupo NicheServando & FlorentinochavismoPink FloydCensorship and media control during the Venezuelan presidential crisisNatGeoAntena 3Freddy SuperlanoRudy MancusoUS Treasury DepartmentForeign PolicyThe EconomistLaPatilla.comThe Wall Street JournalDer SpiegelInfobaeLa PatillaEl ComercioClarín (Argentine newspaper)ReutersEl NacionalMiami HeraldThe Washington PostAssociated PressProtests against Nicolás MaduroHistory of Venezuela (1999–present)COVID-19 pandemicEconomic crisisBolivarian missionsBolivarian RevolutionBolivarianismCensorshipDefectionsDevaluation of the Venezuelan bolívarEconomic policies under Nicolás MaduroEnergy crisisZulia energy collapseIllegal drug tradeInternational sanctionsU.S. sanctionsInterventions of political partiesNegotiationsRefugee crisis and diaspora