According to Adriana Herrera: “There are many people full of optimism, creating projects and making them possible in this capital full of contrasts. Each group, every effort, is a respite for the residents of Caracas, and these are just some of the initiatives which leave their positive mark on the city.” Photo of Caracas by Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain.

On the travel and lifestyle site Matador Network, journalist Adriana Herrera has gathered examples of the work that organizations in Caracas are doing to offer up some optimism in the midst of the economic and political crisis that is clouding the outlook of many Venezuelans.

Some organizations encourage residents to go out and participate in events around the city — a rather significant act in itself, given the high levels of crime in Caracas — while others find ways to awaken their artistic creativity. This is a clear illustration of how everyday actions, done collectively and with common goals, can provide a counterbalance to adversity.

The complete list of organizations is available in the original Spanish-language article. Their efforts are well documented on Facebook and Instagram, such as those of “Mi Convive” (“My Buddy”), a group with clear and ambitious goals:

Los convives trabajamos por una meta muy concreta: “A la vuelta de 10 años queremos que Caracas salga de la lista de las 10 ciudades más peligrosas y entre en la lista de las 10 ciudades más visitadas de Latinoamérica” […]Trabajamos junto a la comunidad y diferentes organizaciones sociales en el desarrollo de actividades y proyectos que permitan disminuir los índices de violencia en los sectores populares de Caracas.

We, the buddies, work for a very specific goal: “After almost 10 years of Caracas being on the list of the 10 most dangerous cities, we want it to leave that list and be one of the 10 most visited cities in Latin America” […] We work together with the community and different social organizations in developing activities and projects that help reduce the rates of violence in the low-income areas of Caracas.

Sonorámica is another one of the projects featured in the list. Their aim is to spread poetry through music in different collective spaces. Some of their events can be found on their Facebook page, which also explains their motivation:

Sonorámica es una panorámica sonora que registra algo más completo que el paisaje: un país, su poesía, sus sonidos y su tiempo puestos en evidencia para confirmar que, siendo diversos, tenemos una memoria compartida hecha de imágenes que saben sonar.

Sonorámica is a sound panorama that records something more complete than the landscape: a country, its poetry, its sounds and its time, highlighted to confirm that, being diverse, we have a shared memory made of images that have sound.

Other organizations explore the city’s points of historical significance, give tours of the city by bicycle or share the city's most unusual tales. In total, the list comprises 16 groups, suggesting there is a number of citizens who refuse to be part of monochromatic narratives or surrender to the difficult situation.