Wuilly Arteaga, one of the well known faces of Venezuelan protests, is currently a subway performer in New York. Arteaga gained fame in Venezuela when for peacefully playing the violin in the streets during violent protests. His fame was deemed dangerous to the government and he was arrested and tortured. For obvious reasons, it was no longer safe for him in Venezuela and he was forced to leave. An article by The Star, published April 5th, documents his new life. He was interviewed in his New York apartment. He now plays his violin on the street for spare change, waiting for a time when it is safe for him to return to his real home. “My biggest dream is to make music in my country, but for the moment I can’t do it,” Arteaga told The Star. Occasionally he will be recognised on the street, and other Venezuelans will ask for pictures. Wuilly Arteaga is a big deal within the resistance, but he cannot return to his country for the foreseeable future.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/08/americas/venezuela-unrest/index.html
Wuilly made first made international news in May of 2017, when he was attacked by the military during a protest. To provide context, most protests tend to involve Venezuelans chanting outside government buildings. The National Guard throws tear gas grenades at the citizens and attempt to capture as many as they can, to be put in jail, tortured, or killed, like something out of a dystopian novel. When the military comes, protesters throw homemade bombs and set fire to soldier’s tanks. They can become incredibly violent. This is what makes Wuilly’s case stand out. He was quietly playing the violin, not even speaking, in front of a tank when he was violently grabbed by soldiers. They destroyed his violin, punched him, and dragged him across the road. He took to social media, sharing his case, raising money for a charity that provides instruments to low-income families, and continuing to protest. He quickly became an iconic face of Venezuelan protests. The government, of course, didn’t like this. They tracked him down and tortured him.
The fact the face of the resistance cannot live within the country he is fighting for really shows the state that Venezuela is in. Wuilly is one of the few protesters that never fought violently when the military attacked, and yet, if he is found in Venezuela, he will most likely be killed. It is painful to compare Venezuela to a dystopian story, but it is a fair comparison. It is not only violent protesters who are killed, it is anyone who dares to speak up against the government. This is a situation that most people have only ever seen in movies like The Hunger Games, but it is a horrible reality for Venezuelans.
Venezuela's Political Situation 
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