Closeup January 23, 2018

The Voice of Protest: Betsayda Machado Sings Against Hunger in Venezuela

Betsayda Machado
<p>The songs of Betsayda Machado, the leading voice of Afro-Venezuelan music, address many of the most painful topics of daily life of her country: hunger, poverty, shortages of basic medicine, and deadly street riots – stemming from the current economic and political crisis in Venezuela. They talk about its consequences on a gut level: empty store shelves, and the devastation of parents unable to feed their children. Some in Venezuela who have spoken out have faced retribution, but that hasn’t deterred Betsayda Machado. &nbsp;<strong><em>Produced by Dan Rosenberg. Distributed 01/23/2018</em></strong></p> <p><strong>About the producer:</strong></p> <p>Dan Rosenberg is a journalist and music producer based in Toronto, Canada. &nbsp;He reports and music and culture for The Huffington Post, The Times (UK), The Rough Guides and various public radio programs including “Afropop Worldwide” and “Café International”. &nbsp;He also has produced over 60 albums including Yiddish Glory and dozens of releases for the Rough Guide to World Music series.</p>