VENEZUELA: UCV Against Delcy Rodríguez & more – 29th Jan 2026

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Venezuela Update from the 29th of January twenty twenty-six. A quick summary of what's going down in Venezuela.

We have to start with the moment that lit up Caracas. On Tuesday the 27th, students at the Universidad Central de Venezuela — UCV, — confronted Interim President Delcy Rodríguez during a campus visit. They demanded the release of detained students and political prisoners, and videos showed them chanting “Free them all!”

UCV carries symbolic weight in Venezuela’s political history, so a public confrontation there can ripple beyond the campus gates. Reactions moved fast online: supporters praised the students’ nerve, while government-aligned accounts framed it as a provocation.

In other news, on Saturday the 24th, a leaked video showed senior officials huddling with pro-government influencers to coordinate talking points and online behavior. This meeting happened in Caracas, but the real battleground was everyone’s phone. Officials clearly worried that one viral clip could undo a full week of official messaging. And influencers reach audiences that don’t watch traditional news at all, so the government treated this like a high-stakes communications briefing, not a casual meet-and-greet.

Watch the leaked video with the link in the show notes.

Quick stop in Europe, on Tuesday the 27th, Spain approved a decree that could regularize around five hundred thousand undocumented migrants and asylum seekers. For Venezuelans living in Spain, legal status can mean access to formal job contracts, safer travel, and fewer stressful moments around paperwork. The Spanish government framed the measure as an integration and labor strategy, while conservative and nationalist parties criticized it.

Back in Venezuela, money stayed front and center. On Wednesday the 28th, the Central Bank announced it would offer about two hundred million US dollars into the official exchange market, using proceeds from hydrocarbon exports. EFE — Spain’s international news wire — reported the bank framed it as part of a broader effort to support the currency after earlier foreign-currency sales in January. Exchange rates shape prices, salaries, and whether a grocery run feels like a jump scare.

On Thursday the 22nd, Delcy Rodríguez tried to sell a twenty twenty-six storyline with a big round number. EFE reported she claimed Venezuela’s foreign-currency income will rise 37% this year, pitching it as money that should reach the regions, not just Caracas. She framed it as proof the economy is recovering, but it also works as a political signal. She uses it to keep governors aligned, keep markets calm, and keep the narrative focused on what is supposed to arrive next, instead of what is still missing, including wages, trust, and basic predictability. Big projections work like umbrellas in a storm. They don’t stop the rain, but they help leadership move through it.

But Delcy didn’t keep the message on economics. On Sunday the 26th, she drew a bright red line and delivered a nationalist message. Venezuela would not take orders from Washington. She spoke in Puerto La Cruz to workers, and the phrase Ya basta de órdenes de Washington spread fast online. She also defended the country’s right to keep relations with China and Russia, framing it as sovereignty, not negotiation. That matters because it is not just rhetoric. It is positioning. She spoke as if Venezuela is choosing a multipolar lane, trading where it can, getting financing where it can, and keeping strategic partners close even under pressure. Supporters shared the clip as a dignity moment. Opponents heard a warning and a preview of harder lines ahead.

On the energy desk, two moves showed how much the economy still depends on licenses and geopolitics. On Thursday the 22nd,Reuters reported that Vitol and Trafigura — major physical traders of crude oil, refined fuels, and gas — accelerated Venezuelan oil sales under a US-backed supply arrangement. Reuters also reported that Shell and BP sought US licenses for gas projects shared between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago. For Trinidad and Tobago, gas feeds power plants and liquefied natural gas exports; for Venezuela, shared fields offer rare near-term revenue that does not require building everything from scratch.

Speaking of oil, on Wednesday the 28th, Democratic lawmakers in the US House of Representatives sent a warning letter to companies that had met with the White House about Venezuelan oil. Here is what it means in plain terms. Some companies want to buy, move, or finance Venezuelan oil using permissions that exist right now. The lawmakers are saying that permission might not protect them later. If Congress changes its mind, if a new US administration reverses course, or if Venezuela gets a new government that rejects the deals, those contracts could be challenged. That can mean lawsuits, sanctions trouble, frozen payments, and a public scandal. The message is basically this. Even if the government says yes today, they can still be on the hook tomorrow.

Let's bring in the glitter. On Monday the 26th, officials in the Bolívar state coordinated preparations for the Carnival celebrations known as the Carnavales de El Callao, scheduled for mid-February in the municipality of El Callao, in southeastern Venezuela. Organizers discussed security plans, tourism logistics, and support for calypso groups. Carnaval is important because it boosts local commerce and puts a region outside Caracas in the national spotlight. Online reactions felt warm and nostalgic: costume photos, calypso clips, and people gearing up for the street water fights.

In more news from outside the capital, Portuguesa state will get its cultural moment too. Organizers said the Venezuela International Book Fair better known as Filven — would take place in Guanare, the capital of Portuguesa state, on Wednesday the 28th and Thursday the 29th. This year’s slogan is Leer humaniza, or Reading humanizes.

Reactions online mixed enthusiasm with practical concerns about affordability.

Travel stayed messy, and people kept hacking the system. On Wednesday the 28th, Bitácora Económica reported that international departures from interior cities have turned into a workaround while key routes through Maiquetía remain disrupted. Agencies and passengers are leaning harder on airports like Maracaibo, Valencia, and Barquisimeto to connect out through hubs like Panamá. The key detail is that industry voices say airlines and regulators keep talking, but there is no firm restart date for several suspended routes. So travelers plan defensively, with backups, reroutes, and a lot of screenshots.

On Thursday the 23rd, Venezuela marked one hundred twenty-nine years of national cinema. The Ministry of Culture promoted activities across the country, including screenings and workshops. .

Check out the schedule of the Ministry’s program with the link in the show notes.

Still on film, on Tuesday the 27th, Euroscopio opened a call for designers to create the visual identity for its twenty-first edition. Submissions run through the end of January, ahead of an April festival season.. Designers reacted fast, sharing the call and swapping portfolio advice like it was exam season — except the exam might pay rent..

Music opened doors too. The Festival Música Urbana, linked to Fundación Nuevas Bandas, opened registrations for its eighth edition starting Monday the 26th. Artists apply online, and the festival focuses on spotlighting emerging voices. Urban music has become a public diary for younger Venezuelans, and festivals like this can turn a bedroom track into real gigs and real networks.

Now, the export version of Venezuelan culture. On Monday the 26th, Venezuelan band, Rawayana, announced dates for its “Where’s the afterparty” tour, (¿Dónde es el after?), with shows starting in April and stops including Madrid and Barcelona with many Venezuelans in Spain expressing their excitement..

Time for the national ritual that reschedules dinner. On Tuesday the 27th, the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, best known as LVBP (, kicked off with Navegantes del Magallanes facing Caribes de Anzoátegui. Game one took place in Puerto La Cruz, in Anzoátegui state on Venezuela’s eastern coast, and the series will crown a champion in a best-of-seven.

More baseball news. Earlier this week, Los Grandes de la LVBP held its ceremony honoring the season’s standouts. Fans turned it into a full national debate, comparing stats, storylines, and who delivered when it counted.

And to wrap up, a recommended read in English: The Guardian published an analysis by Tom Phillips titled “Can Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez become a Latin American Deng Xiaoping?” Phillips looks at the pitch Delcy is making — economic loosening without political opening — and connects it to China’s post-Mao playbook of “reform and opening up” concept from China’s post-Mao era. This piece is relevant because it helps listeners understand why “economic reform” headlines can coexist with tight political control — and why that tradeoff matters for democracy, investment, and daily life.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

¡Hasta la próxima!