For refugees, ‘Paradise is a promise no god can keep’

I arrived at Plazoleta Cruz Del Vado on an early evening just in time to watch a flock of clouds pulling a blanket of sleep over the mountains. A few lights, some winking, some not, snuggled against the hillside holding Tarqui, soothing the grating rasp wearing down the resilience of Cuenca’s Venezuelan refugees. The streets are populated with their sad faces wearing shrouds barring sunlight and smiles; most are timid, unsure where danger lurks and if an evil wind will breathe on them. All squint towards the sun just as flowers do. And all are anxious for a return of the dreams of the past, and the assurance of a secure future. But, this is not to be. Instead, we are witnessing prejudicial treatment of essential refugees, some with trades important to a growing economy, who came seeking freedom but were offered only despair. Now they are leaving Ecuador, returning to their worst nightmare; a homeland ravaged by politicians bloated with greed, crazed by cocaine, and carousing in the acrid aroma of gunpowder, blood, and corruption. Yet even this catastrophe is a titanic struggle for most. The trail home is a many hundred-miles walk over many weeks, each step fraught with hardship and imminent danger. Hardened criminals — like locusts — often descend on the weary outcasts, stripping clean all that they have left: the entirety of their lives carried in backpacks supported by broken-down shoes and shattered dreams of hope and freedom. Despite recent developments, including the capture for President Nicolas Maduro by U.S military forces, Venezuelans endure a humanitarian crisis, living daily with violence and food shortages. Nearly one-third of the male population will never reach the age of 60. Twenty six of every 1,000 will not see their fifth birthday. The general population is not expected to live beyond the ripe old age of 69. According to the Pharmaceutical Federation of Venezuela (Federación Farmacéutica de Venezuela), on a good day there is only an 87% shortage of essential medicines in the country’s hospitals. This is the land they are destined to return to, having learned one hardened and savage truth: “Paradise is a promise no god bothers to keep.” The post For refugees, ‘Paradise is a promise no god can keep’ appeared first on CuencaHighLife.