Venezuelans around the world last Thursday celebrated their country's 202 years of freedom, which came after a revolutionary popular Venezuelan movement disregarded the authority of the representative of the Spanish monarch, culminating in the declaration of the signing of the Act of Independence from Spain on April 19, 1810.

In The Gambia, the historic day was observed in a form of a reception, organised by the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in The Gambia, at the Kairaba Beach Hotel in Kololi.

The celebration brought together prominent personalities including senior government officials, members of the diplomatic and consular corps, and a cross-section of the Gambian community.

Addressing the evening reception, the Venezuelan ambassador to The Gambia,Lourdes Perez Martinez thanked her guests on behalf of her government for taking part in the celebration. “We thank you all for being here with us celebrating the 202 years of the first step the people of Venezuela took to reach independence,” she asserted.

The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, according to the ambassador,reflects on “this glorious day as living process in which all Venezuelans have their share in order to continue the ‘Bolivarian Project’ initiated 2020 years ago.

“Two centuries ago, our America woke up to fight for independence and freedom without empire or colonialism. Today, Latin American countries are trying actively to achieve Simon Bolivar’s dream of reaching sovereignty through regional cooperation under the principles of respect for the self-determination of their peoples, respect for religion, culture and government, as well as diversity,” she stated.

The Venezuelan chief diplomat to the Gambia seized the opportunity to reveal that today her country has increased the National Gross Domestic Product per capita, indicating that workers are able to improve their standards of living than they were in the last 40 years of the “so-called democracy representatives.”