Paule Djiane and André Fadda ㅣ Union for Communist Reconstruction (URC), France
On September 25, 2025, Thierry Deronne and Victor Hugo Rivera’s documentary “How Venezuela Moves Mountains” was screened at the Majestic Passy cinema in Paris. The film focuses on the communal self-governments that are at the heart of Venezuela’s participatory democracy.
The screening was attended by around 50 people, including Mr. Rodulfo Humberto Pérez Hernandez, Venezuela’s ambassador to UNESCO in France, and his wife (consultant to Venezuela’s permanent delegation to UNESCO), representatives of the Venezuelan embassy, and representatives of various associations, including the “Friends of the Paris Commune.”
The screening was followed by a very fruitful and warm debate, “off the record,” with Maurice Lemoine, former editor-in-chief of Le Monde Diplomatique, field journalist,and writer, who has been traveling throughout Latin America, particularly Venezuela, for more than 50 years.
This initiative was a real success, which calls for others in the very near future.
The discussion was of a very high political standard and very informative, given that many participants were not really aware of the existence of the “Comunas” in Venezuela.
Several participants expressed their wish to be able to watch another film by Thierry Deronne, entitled “Nostalgiques du futur” (Nostalgic for the Future), which presents the involvement of women in the communes in Venezuela, under the same conditions.
This Parisian initiative was made possible thanks to the involvement and dedication of Paule Djiane, an activist with the Union for Communist Reconstruction (URC) and, along with comrade André Fadda, the URC’s representative for relations with Latin America.
The screening of the documentary by Thierry Deronne and Victor Hugo Rivera generated particular interest, given that the Paris Commune remains fresh in people’s memories.
To this end, Paule, a long-time member of the association “LES AMIS DE LA COMMUNE DE PARIS” (Friends of the Paris Commune), has been working for some time with the members of this association to raise awareness and promote this innovative experience of participatory democracy in the Comunas, made possible by Commander Hugo Chavez and President Nicolas Maduro, so that it can be known in Paris and throughout France.
Today, thanks to Venezuela, the Paris Commune of 1871 is not dead and is in a sense rising from its ashes with a different component, as this project is being driven by the Bolivarian government “for the people and by the people.”
It is also in this sense that the anniversary of the Commune, this Sunday, September 28, 2025, in the popular and historic district of Butte aux Cailles in Paris, provided a significant new opportunity to introduce this festive and commemorative event to representatives of the Venezuelan Embassy in France.
As part of this celebration, discussions between the leaders of the Friends of the Paris Commune and the Venezuelan ambassador to UNESCO, his wife, and other guests provided an opportunity to outline interesting perspectives on the historical and political links between the legacy of the Paris Commune and the “Comuna o nada” experience initiated by Commander Hugo Chávez. This approach by the Friends of the Commune is all the more relevant as it highlights the memory of the Commune by connecting it with the construction of socialism in Venezuela today.
Aware of the importance of this convergence, the URC team in charge of relations with Latin America has included in its action plan the strategic objective of promoting and popularizing in France this particularly vibrant and innovative Venezuelan experience of Popular Power in order to compare it with other experiences that may have existed or are attempting to exist in various forms in different countries in Latin America and other parts of the world.
Hasta la Victoria siempre
¡Venceremos!
