Vanessa Redgrave is keen to visit Venezuela
Ambassador for Children and Refugees stands firm in her political convictions

Vanessa Redgrave. Award-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave, UNICEF Ambassador and close supporter of the UNHCR

Award-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave, UNICEF Ambassador and close supporter of the UNHCR, hopes that the political process in Venezuela maintains its spirit of solidarity both socially and internationally.

The festivities at the Venezuelan Embassy in London to celebrate the 197th anniversary of Independence were graced with the presence of Vanessa Redgrave. In an interview with the Press Office the actress had nothing but praise for the achievements of the Venezuelan government on matters related to social inclusion.

Ms. Redgrave sent her greetings to the Venezuelan nation. With her winning smile and serene confidence she expressed her great interest in the progress that Venezuela has made through the Bolivarian Revolution. “Many years ago, when I was ten or twelve years old, I saw a play at the theatre where the hero was Simon Bolivar,” said the Oscar-winner for her starring role in the film Julia, in which she performed alongside Jane Fonda in 1977.

“There is a firm connection between that period – she said in Spanish – two hundred years ago now, (she continued in English, in a jokey manner) and our own day. Especially for me there is a real connection, not only because of the declared connection in the name of the country – the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, she speaks again in Spanish – but also because of the Venezuelan government and the people who are working for children, for education and for health and for mothers. And this is fundamental to the rebirth of any country in the world.”

“At present I am appalled and horrified by the poverty that has been created all over the world. I am one of those people that have a very strong conviction that I must spend my life doing what I can to change that situation, that is why I am here,” said the political activist actress with genuine feeling.

“It is an honour for me to be here celebrating with you because you are doing so much to try to change this terrible situation in which the poverty of the masses gets worse and worse, even though some people don’t care.”

“To this (Venezuelan) government that does care and is trying to keep its promises, I would like to say that there also are many of us who do care,” she said with sincerity and in a spirit of solidarity with the Bolivarian cause.

“I would have liked to say these words in Spanish. At the same time I am glad to be here and I send all my love and blessings to all those working for the Bolivarian government who strive towards improving the lifestyle of the majority of people,” said Vanessa Redgrave with passion, in a reminder of her role as Julia, the committed opponent of Nazism, in the 1977 film.

I would love to visit Venezuela

She was asked if she has already visited Venezuela, to which she replied: “I have never been to Venezuela, but I have put in a special request for an invitation, so I am hoping I can come soon. I would really love it, at the end of the year it would be wonderful. Maybe we can create a link between schools, because I set up a school for 3 to 5 year olds which I later gave to the State. Children are my great love,” said the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

A life dedicated to art and the struggle for a better world

 Dignified and passionate, Vanessa Redgrave is considered one of the most brilliant actresses of her generation.  Aside from her multiple nominations, she has won an Oscar, the Palme d’Or at Cannes and numerous other film, television and theatre awards where she has achieved and continues to achieve great successes. Her most recent film Atonement was screened across the country.

Redgrave is a self-confessed socialist, a political activist against the War in Vietnam, and supporter of the refugees of war.  Even now she maintains her political stance. She has been a strong critic against the conduct of the United States in its recent military adventures and has described Guantanamo Bay as a concentration camp.

Her political commitment to a fairer world is reflected in her latest film, The Fever, which was directed by her son.  Ithas not yet been released by HBO Films but will become a talking point for committed left wingers: it is more than just a wake up call, it is a punch in the stomach for the industrialised bourgeois western world. In the film a lady from London, of undisclosed age, with the tastes of the upper-middle class, comes into contact with the world of the socially-excluded and the revolutionary struggle in the Third World. The film, with its distinct political agenda, features Angelina Jolie in the role of a mother who joins in the armed struggle against the pattern of abuse and torture, and the worldwide acclaimed US documentary–maker Michael Moore.

¦ Main Page ¦