{"id":47478,"date":"2024-05-10T06:09:16","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T06:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/10\/reality-show-contestants-compete-for-an-authoritarians-campaign-jingle\/"},"modified":"2024-05-10T06:09:16","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T06:09:16","slug":"reality-show-contestants-compete-for-an-authoritarians-campaign-jingle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/10\/reality-show-contestants-compete-for-an-authoritarians-campaign-jingle\/","title":{"rendered":"Reality Show Contestants Compete for an Authoritarian\u2019s Campaign Jingle"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/05\/09\/world\/09venezuela-maduro-realitytv\/09venezuela-maduro-realitytv-facebookJumbo.jpg?fit=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Reality Show Contestants Compete for an Authoritarian\u2019s Campaign Jingle\" title=\"Reality Show Contestants Compete for an Authoritarian\u2019s Campaign Jingle\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The flashing neon lights. The cheering audience. The <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CRvrMVAWT-o\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">lively host<\/a> with slicked back hair in a sea foam green suit. The panel of judges in dark sunglasses. The contestants who share emotional personal stories before belting their songs into a microphone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It has all the elements of a typical singing competition. But this contest\u2019s winner will not earn money or a recording contract.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Instead, contestants on the show, \u201cM Factor,\u201d write and perform songs in a competition to become the official campaign jingle for the party of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, the authoritarian leader of Venezuela.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Maduro\u2019s repressive government, which has been in power for over a decade, is under investigation by an international court for crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But on the home front Mr. Maduro has tried, at times, to promote a softer side, using state-controlled media to portray his administration as goofy, fun-loving personalities working hard to save the nation from what they characterize as imperialist enemies, namely the United States.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In his own <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/live\/35NpvyUagXw?feature=shared\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">weekly television show<\/a> Mr. Maduro appears next to brightly attired traditional singers and dancers who promote his policies in song. Another series on state television features a cartoon superhero named \u201c<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@superbigotemanodehierro.ca6998\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Super Mustache<\/a>\u201d who bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Maduro rescuing the Venezuelan people from disaster.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Such shows are seen by many as a distraction from years of economic struggle that have led more than seven million Venezuelans, a fourth of the country\u2019s population, to leave since 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But the host of the \u201cM Factor\u201d Winston Vallenilla, a longtime television actor and supporter of Mr. Maduro, who is also a national legislator, said this was not true.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201c\u2018M Factor\u2019 was born from a movement of artists,\u2019\u2019 he said in an interview. \u201cIt was born from the need of the people to express themselves through music. It is not born out of a call from President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThere is no economic interest here,\u2019\u2019 he added. \u201cThe only interest is the interest of the homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The producer of the \u201cM Factor,\u2019\u2019 Camilla Fabri, said in a news release that the show was conceived after Mr. Maduro\u2019s campaign received multiple jingle proposals \u201c<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"http:\/\/www.minec.gob.ve\/factor-m-se-transmitira-todos-los-domingos-a-partir-del-28-de-abril\/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CFactor%20M%E2%80%9D%20es%20un%20concurso,la%20campa%C3%B1a%20del%20candidato%20presidencial.\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">spontaneously<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The program, which was first broadcast on April 28 on the public television station TVES, will feature 35 contestants across eight episodes. The final episode will be broadcast on June 10, seven weeks before the scheduled July 28 presidential election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIn Venezuela there are so many singers, so many promises,\u201d Mr. Maduro said when he announced the contest three weeks ago. \u201cWe have to express this historic moment, express it with their yearnings, their hopes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The judges, all of whom are known Maduro supporters with business ties to the government, give little criticism of the performances and much praise for the president, whose approval rating otherwise hovers around 35 percent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Denunciations of the United States, which has imposed severe economic sanctions on Venezuela, come up frequently \u2014 from the host, from Mr. Maduro\u2019s campaign messages that air during the show, and from one contestant whose song included the phrase: \u201cthey want to dominate us, that gringo empire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe United States has done us a lot of harm,\u201d Mr. Vallenilla said during one episode. \u201cAlways trying to undermine the freedom and the independence, the sovereignty of the people.\u201d Throughout the program Mr. Vallenilla refers to Mr. Maduro as the \u201cpresident of peace\u201d and \u201cthe greatest defender of culture in Venezuela.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">One contestant, wearing a cowboy hat and surrounded by flamenco dancers sang: \u201cListen to me, Nicol\u00e1s. I\u2019m going to shout it out loud: With 10 million votes you will have your triumph for sure.\u201d Afterward, Mr. Vallenilla chatted onstage with the contestant, known as Neo Blanco.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cHe is not here, but he is watching you on television,\u201d Mr. Vallenilla said, referring to the president. \u201cSo what would you say to President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro at this special moment?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cDon\u2019t give up, <em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">compadre<\/em>. You have a lot of people out there,\u201d Neo Blanco said. \u201cIf we have to hang up our hats someday and go to the toughest battle, count on us, brother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Sheyla Urdaneta<!-- --> contributed reporting from Maracaibo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/09\/world\/americas\/venezuela-maduro-m-factor-show.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The flashing neon lights. The cheering audience. The lively host with slicked back hair in a sea foam green suit. The panel of judges in dark sunglasses. The contestants who share emotional personal stories before belting their songs into a microphone. It has all the elements of a typical singing competition. But this contest\u2019s winner [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/05\/09\/world\/09venezuela-maduro-realitytv\/09venezuela-maduro-realitytv-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[48138,2243,27807,28371,22161,5176,443],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47478"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47478"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47480,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47478\/revisions\/47480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}