Cosmopolitics, religiosity and pandemic in Venezuela

Abstract: The cult of President Hugo Chávez in popular urban sectors of the Venezuelan capital has been reinforced in the midst of the pandemic. Fieldwork carried out during the weeks of relaxation decreed by the government of Venezuela, showed that the believers visited the chapel consecrated to San Hugo Chávez on 23, located in the parish 23 de enero de Caracas, to request protection, housing, surgical interventions and give thanks for health-related matters, including healings among those infected by Covid-19. In this sense, we are facing a form of religiosity in which believers seek to solve problems of daily life, establishing a strong sacred link with the sacred image of Chávez, an immanent relationship that does not seem to separate the sacred from the political, that is, , the "cosmopolitical". On the other hand, it is appreciated how from the government discourse, the image of Chávez as the savior / protector of the country is reinforced, which is why Venezuela would have the lowest rates of infected in all of Latin America.

Keywords:
Venezuela; Hugo Chávez; pandemic; Covid-19; cosmopolitics