Witness

Venezuela: A Sinking Revolution

An election takes place in a once prosperous village in Venezuela and reveals the decline of a nation.

On Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, the village of Congo Mirador prepares for parliamentary elections.

A streetwise businesswoman named Tamara is a Chavist party representative and defiantly pro-President Nicolas Maduro. For Tamara, every vote counts no matter what the cost. Whereas Natalie, a local teacher, is a fervent critic of the current government.

Once home to a prosperous group of fishermen and women, the village’s population has dwindled from about 700 to less than 30 families over the past 10 years as the lakes fill with sediment. From opposing sides of politics, both Tamara and Natalie are fighting hard for their village to survive.