Maduro sings “Imagine” by the Beatles - and reality stays outside

Nicolás Maduro knows how to build a backdrop. On Saturday he stood on a stage, surrounded by supporters in red shirts, cameras of state television close to his face - and grabbed the microphone. Then he sang John Lennon's “Imagine”, the lines about a world without borders, without possessions, without conflict. “Peace, peace, I want peace!”, he shouted, as if trying to convince the sky itself that the tension between Caracas and Washington was only a misunderstanding. Regardless of that, one thing is clear: America is quite clearly violating international and human rights.

The scene might have been almost touching if it had not been so far removed from reality. While Maduro tried to summon the dream of harmony in the crowd, American warships lay off the coast of Venezuela, vessels that according to the Trump administration are meant to fight drug trafficking. In Venezuela, however, they are long seen as a sign of growing danger. Irritation between the two countries is increasing - and Maduro responds with a symbolic gesture that reveals more about his talent for staging than about his political judgment.

He urged the youth of the country to learn the words of the song by heart. “It is a great source of inspiration,” he said. Perhaps he meant the idea of a world in which criticism does not exist, borders only get in the way, and opposition is unnecessary. For the passage about a world “without countries” sounds strange when quoted by a president who deepens political trenches every day. A world without political prisoners - that would be an image capable of inspiring hope. But that version of the song does not seem to be the one he is singing.

It is this gap between message and reality that makes Maduro's appearance so hard to bear. A song that speaks of freedom and equality becomes a backdrop for a regime that jails protesters, persecutes journalists, and pushes out international observers. The words feel like fine strokes of paint on a wall that already shows cracks. With the same gesture that he uses to embrace his supporters, he pushes away those who do not fit his image.

At the same time, unease in the country is growing. The economic misery continues, the supply situation remains strained, and many sense that another geopolitical conflict could make the fragile balance even more dangerous. But instead of relying on diplomacy, Maduro opts for a show that speaks of peace only on the surface. It is a spectacle meant to solidify his own base - nothing more and nothing less.

The melody of “Imagine” is delicate, almost fragile. It recalls a world in which power is not mistaken for volume. But this afternoon it became an instrument that drowned out the truth rather than searching for it. And perhaps that is the essence of this moment: a song that promises freedom, and a president who sings his own version of it - one in which the inconvenient lines are left out.