Tortoises A Story of Caretaking

Abstract

The profound crisis affecting Venezuela has triggered a massive migratory crisis. More than eight million people have fled the country. However, in Caracas, massive emigration and the ensuing vacancy have not reduced the city to abandonment and ruin. On the contrary, migrants’ decision to protect their left-behind patrimonies has set in motion caretaking practices that preserve these. These practices are introverted and protective, yet through their action, ‘preservation’ becomes more than suspension in time. Caretaking is entangled with migration dynamics and the ongoing collapse, integrated with emerging coping strategies, transforming spaces and livelihoods.

In a narrative style that straddles between the short story and the field report, the essay examines one instance of caretaking, reflecting on how mundane actions extend the patrimonies and the relations around them. The text explores the idea of ‘extended caption’ as a way to create a fluid, non-subordinate dialogue between text and image. (Bowring 2020)

Keywords: care, Caracas, emigration