6.30pm Wednesday, November 26
At the Direct Action Centre
8 Gillingham St, Woolloongabba
(next to Buranda train station)
cheap meal available
*******
p) 3391 1903, m) 0400 720 757. e) brisbane@rsp.org.au
In a world dominated by corporate greed, the individual pursuit of wealth pervades every aspect of life. Despite the ideals marketed by capitalism of an affluent lifestyle, the majority of the world’s population live on less then US$2 a day, 850 million people are starving, 1.1 billion people don’t have access to clean drinking water and more than 800 million people are illiterate.
The dream of a democratic, just and equitable world where people do not go hungry; where people have the benefit of free education and health care and freely participate in the running of their community seems like a fantasy. But far from being a pipe dream- it is actually happening- in a country struggling with chronic underdevelopment that is the product of being plundered by corporate barons for decades.
In Venezuela the revolutionary socialist government of Hugo Chavez has made great inroads into eradicating poverty by repeatedly raising the minimum wage and empowering people through the establishment of 26 000 communal councils. The social missions established by the government have made great progress in eradicating illiteracy and establishing a system of free healthcare – there has been a 1 200% increase in the number of physicians since the election of Chavez in 1998. Come to this forum to learn more about the Venezuelan revolution – a living alternative to the decaying global system of capitalism.