Hugo Chavez (a man of our time) Simon Cunich’s documentary film Growing Change: A Journey Inside Venezuela’s Food Revolution investigates our current food system as he tries to understand why hundreds of millions of people go hungry each day. Is it true that there’s simply not enough to go around? And as the world faces an increasing number of environmental challenges, how will we feed a global population of more than seven billion people?

Venezuela
had gone through its transition
From a major oil producer that allowed
its agricultural systems to go haywire
the people in the fields it seems had bowed
to the corporates, who owned the land
and left it
who’d flog their poor grandmother
if they thought
there was money in the deal
and the oil did so appeal
America and its yes men leaders caught

By 1989 all those food shortages
rising prices, so the army came
3000 or so people were killed outright
on the streets
Hugo Chavez rose to power and with his fame
this guy wanted Social change, the people
were his goal
he wanted them to profit
they were his life and soul

Oil revenues he aimed them at the people
in the sense for Social projects, He
rather than see foreign corporations
and corrupt politicians tragically
in effect his countries wealth
usurped by monsters, he
changed all that
and brought back peoples land
where it should be
Communes, organic farmers
revolution that all could
understand
and realise
it was now for the Nation’s good

The Yanks and corrupt forces
tried to oust him
But the people wanted
none of it and so
They have free education
and a National Health
free at the point of use
as well we know
The land is once again
share owned by farmers
Peasant farmers work
to and do feed
municipal land is
utilized in cities
people are working hard
and they succeed
once again, they are
now self sufficient
the Government invests
and see’s to it
La Via Compensina and
other peoples groups
associations
on which people sit

with this set up the people
have their faith back
Fair Trade and organics
sets the scene
The agricultural giants
with the GM
agro business are not welcome
and the land has become green
a chains of governments subsidised
Grocers flourishes
At about 40% less for the poor
Everybody works hard for everybody else
the large scale corporate
nonsense all abhor

hopefully in time one hopes
the so called West
will see sense and reclaim their rights
maybe
The tsunami flow in Britain and in Europe and all
across America
hopefully
a Chavez, there will show

Because this vile sick corporate
world that steals the profits
for itself the so called elite rich 1%
who rise above the people
believing themselves to be
a new world order
honestly whose content?
they have to be got rid of and it done rapidly
What Cuba and now Venezuela
have managed it appears
they have bucked the trend
stopped the gap
and engaged their people’s fears
of serfdom that loomed large
and saw so many lose their way
have replaced the industrial Giants
which had led to true decay
Though poor,they have their voices
they work hard for the State
all feel they are useful
and the countries doing great