Kate Boyer- Man Plays Violin in the Middle of Violent Attack

The possibility of a rising dictatorship in Venezuela has sparked many protests. CNN explains the predicament,

"Venezuela has been in a state of widespread unrest since March 29, when the Venezuelan Supreme Court dissolved parliament and transferred all legislative powers to itself. Doing away with the opposition-controlled legislative branch would have left the remaining two branches of Venezuelan government controlled by President Nicolas Maduro's ruling United Socialist Party" (Pozzebon et al.).  

The protests have resulted in 36 deaths and over 750 injured persons. In the midst of bombs and tear gas a man in Caracas, Venezuela played the violin. He was playing the Venezuelan National Anthem; a group of kids were surrounding him, serving as some sort of make-shift barrier. He played without stopping for hours. The week before, a different violinist was shot in the midst of a protest that took a violent turn. 18 year old Armando Cañizales was shot in the neck.

I think this is a tragically inspirational story. The bravery this man had and the risk of losing his life while playing his violin has immense symbolism. He should be a symbol of hope and peace amongst the utter chaos around him. When I first read this article, I immediately thought of WWII survivor, Elie Wiesel (pronounced ellie vi-sel) and his memoir, Night. In chapter 6, he wrote about a young man who played his violin for the Kapos.  

"The darkness enveloped us. All I could hear was the violin, and it was as if Juliek's soul had become his bow. He was playing is life. His whole being was gliding over the strings. His unfulfilled hopes. His charred past, his extinguished future. He played that which he would never play again...When I awoke at daybreak, I saw Juliek facing me, hunched over, dead. Next to him lay his violin, trampled, an eerily poignant little corpse" (Wiesel 95).

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/09/americas/venezuela-violin-protester/index.html