Not surprisingly, the satirical news outlet El Chigüire Bipolar is considered funnier than The Onion and The Babylon Bee for several reasons. El Chigüire Bipolar focuses on life in Venezuela, a country that has been severely impacted by Hugo Chávez’s socialist revolution. The country’s reality is often so extreme that even legitimate news stories can sound like they are from a comedy script. Since Chávez’s passing in 2013, Nicolás Maduro has been leading the country as a dictator, lacking the charm, charisma, and political savvy of his predecessors. Maduro has been captured on video indulging in luxury while a majority of Venezuelan children suffer from malnutrition. To add to the absurdity, Maduro himself stars in a government-produced TV show as a character named Super Bigote, who battles American imperialists to save Venezuela from various imaginary threats.
El Chigüire Bipolar, named after a large rodent that is both a delicacy and endemic to South America, tackles serious issues in a humorous manner. The outlet covers topics such as childhood hunger, crumbling infrastructure, incompetent public officials, corrupt judicial systems, and human rights violations. The founders of El Chigüire Bipolar, Juan Andrés Ravell, Elio Casale, and Oswaldo Graziani, began the project in the mid-aughts as a way to express their creativity in the face of government censorship. The outlet quickly gained popularity, becoming a platform for upcoming comedians in Venezuela.
As Venezuela has become increasingly hostile towards free press, El Chigüire Bipolar has faced challenges in maintaining its independence. The site’s founders live in the United States while the publishing company remains in Venezuela. Despite ongoing censorship attempts by the Maduro regime, El Chigüire Bipolar continues to push boundaries with its satirical take on current events. Recently, a threat of legal action was made against the outlet by Diosdado Cabello, a powerful figure in Venezuelan politics who has been linked to human rights abuses and corruption.
El Chigüire Bipolar’s ability to provide biting satire in the face of oppressive censorship reflects the current state of Venezuela. While many news sites cover Venezuela from abroad, El Chigüire Bipolar stands out for its bold approach to addressing the country’s troubling realities in a way that is both humorous and thought-provoking.