The governor of inland Amazonas state, Venezuela – who the socialist government has attempted to strip of his title – has organized a protest against socialism Wednesday led by indigenous shamans and launching the opening salvo of “the curse of Dabukurí.”

Governor Liborio Guarulla announced the “Great March of the Shamans and Maracas,” scheduled for Wednesday, in a press conference on May 9, accompanied by opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski. In his statement, Guarulla – who, like Capriles, the socialists have barred from public office for 15 years for opposition to the government – accused the socialists of having a “racial discrimination problem” against indigenous Venezuelans and asserted that the socialist presidents “haven’t won an election in Amazonas in 18 years, neither the living nor the dead one,” referring to late dictator Hugo Chávez and his successor, Nicolás Maduro.

Guarulla then invoked an ancient indigenous curse upon officials of the socialist government:

 I am saying it on this stage: if they have power, so do we. I am going to call upon our ancestors, our shamans, so that the curse of Dabukurí will fall upon those that have tried to do us harm. I can assure you that they will not die without torment. I can assure you that, before they die, they will suffer and their souls will haunt the darkest and most pestilent places before they can close their eyes. Just as they think they have a material power, we have spiritual power.

“We will erase this tyranny from our country,” he affirmed.

Guarulla has also shared a posted advertising the march on his Twitter page that announces the beginning of an indigenous revolt against the socialists called “the war of Dabukurí.”

“We are united in the struggle for democracy and for Venezuela,” he wrote. “Our protest is peaceful but it will triumph over the darkness of this dictatorship!!”

Venezuelan spiritual resources online define the “ceremony of Dabukurí” (or Dabucurí) as an ancient ritual practiced in Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, and Perú that can invoke a curse upon enemies guaranteeing a slow and painful demise. The curse requires an elaborate feast hosted by shamans to take hold.

At press time, local reports from Amazonas show a large congregation of shamans and indigenous supporters organizing behind posters reading “no more dictatorship” and marching against Maduro.

 

Governor Guarulla led the invocation of the Dabukurí curse during the protest, targeting the socialist leadership.

While Governor Guarulla notes that Amazonas has never been a socialist stronghold, the representation of indigenous communities against the Venezuelan dictatorship challenges nearly two decades of propaganda from Caracas claiming that Bolivarian socialism was inclusive of minorities. Hugo Chávez claimed to represent indigenous communities and government propaganda pieces alleged that Chávez taught native Americans to be “proud of being Indians.” While the Chavistas made nominal homage to indigenous groups, adding indigenous insignia to the Venezuela shield, the Venezuelan socialist leadership has been majority white, with some Middle Eastern ethnic minorities represented among the highest ranks of the government, as well.

Indigenous populations have not been immune to the political and economic devastation socialism has brought the country. Most Venezuelans do not have the ability to procure three meals a day for themselves and three out of four lost an average of nearly 20 pounds in weight last year, a phenomenon the government has branded the “Maduro diet.” Over 15 percent of Venezuelans rely on digging through garbage to find food to feed themselves and their family. Last year, Maduro placed his armed forces in charge of controlling the nation’s food supply, triggering a wave of bribery and corruption that exacerbated the food shortages triggered by extreme price controls and rationing.

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