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Life in Venezuela

How has life changed for Venezuelans after the detention of Nicolas Maduro?

After the dramatic US military operation that saw Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife taken from the country and placed in a New York prison, what, if anything, has changed for Venezuelans?

In our conversations, our guests share their experiences of living in Venezuela 鈥 the good and the bad. Vanessa tells us that even liking social media posts that appear to oppose the government could land people in jail.

鈥淚 read a lot on social media, why aren鈥檛 Venezuelans celebrating that Maduro is detained by the United States? It鈥檚 because we can鈥檛,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e are very happy, but we are so scared. And even though he's no longer in the country and he鈥檚 no longer president, the regime is the same.鈥

Donald Trump said the US would 鈥渞un鈥 Venezuela and he has plans for the country鈥檚 crude oil reserves, which are the largest in the world. Despite this relatively untapped wealth, half the population lives in poverty and there have been shortages of food, fuel, water and medical supplies.

Our guests in Venezuela talk about the difficulty of earning money, while millions have decided to flee the country, due to economic challenges and political persecution.

We also bring Venezuelans together in the US, UK and Brazil who have moved abroad. They discuss what they miss about home and what might make them return.

Presenter: James Reynolds with Rahul Tandon
麻豆社 producers: Isabella Bull and Adam Chowdhury
Boffin Media producer: Richard Hollingham
Editors: Arja Haikonen and Simon Peeks
A Boffin Media production in partnership with 麻豆社 OS

(Photo: Protesters hold up a huge Venezuelan flag. Credit: Maria Puerta-Riera)

Available now

23 minutes

Last on

Sun 11 Jan 2026 12:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Fri 9 Jan 2026 20:06GMT
  • Fri 9 Jan 2026 21:06GMT
  • Sat 10 Jan 2026 09:06GMT
  • Sat 10 Jan 2026 16:06GMT
  • Sat 10 Jan 2026 19:06GMT
  • Sun 11 Jan 2026 00:06GMT
  • Sun 11 Jan 2026 12:06GMT