Behind the statistics that grow larger every day, the onslaught of Venezuelans who are legion in the streets of San José in search of not starving to death represents a humanitarian tragedy never before seen in the country. Listening to the story of one is, to a lesser or greater extent, listening to the story of all. Each testimony shakes the soul and challenges empathy.
During August and September, and especially in the last weeks of September and October, Costa Ricans from different parts of the country have witnessed a kind of marathon that thousands of migrants fight for their future, on national soil. Figures from the General Directorate of Immigration and Immigration speak of 1,000 to 1,200 people who cross Costa Rica every day on a long journey but which feels endless due to the obstacles they must overcome every day. Children accompany their parents while women with their brothers or cousins; all human beings who find their strongest muscle in the mind.
Most of them walk from Venezuela, a country where wealth shone in the years 1979 and 1980 but turned into hunger, repression and insecurity, but above all, into a collective desire that only a few dare to seek. To do this, they risk everything, starting with life.
They do not seek to stay here; their future begins where they hope to finish this marathon for life: in the United States. At traffic lights, corners or sidewalks in San José, many carry a cardboard sign on their chest and back with the heading “I am Venezuelan” and a request for help. The capital San José is the second stop on a scale in Costa Rica, which begins at the border with Panama and ends at the border with Nicaragua, from there the journey continues up the northern continent.
To tell the truth, most travel the country by bus and it is in San José that they stop in search of money and food. It is enough to enter the central part of the capital, on Central Avenue, to ascertain the magnitude of what this avalanche of human beings lying on the sidewalks or in the middle of the street are experiencing, dodging vehicles, in search of the most minimal help that they can receive.
When you have nothing, a ¢100 coin -and even a smaller denomination- is appreciated with a look and a “Blessings!” or a “Thank you brother!” And the fact is that the solidarity reaction of hundreds of Costa Ricans from different social classes is moving: without saying a word, they came to leave them fast food, chicken, bags of fruit, packets of cookies, etc… It is a true social drama!
