This week, the people of the Palmarito Afro-descendant commune in Venzuela talk about the fishery commons that sustains their community, and the ways in which their ethos of solidarity and mutual support has helped the commune overcome the massive economic disruptions caused by the US blockade.
‘Fishing Provides for Everyone’
The Palmarito Afro-Descendant Commune (Part III)
by Venezuelanalysis
In Palmarito, there is a culture of mutual support. We can trace its roots to the practice of fishing, which is often cooperative, and to the Chimbángale, which brings practically the whole community together. When things got really hard, the Palmarito Commune organized collective cuero y escama expeditions. We made a census of families and sent out the boats and crews for three or four days. When they returned with six or seven thousand kilos of fish, we distributed the catch house-to-house and even gave some to nearby communities. That way, no one went hungry.
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