After the conclusion of the official Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies, everyone’s pace slowed down a little. The lobby of the Grand Hotel begins to empty, and the press to disappear after a few very intense days, chaired by … the uncertainty over the presence of María Corina Machado in Oslo. but it came.
The hugs were “endless,” Corina Parisca, the winner’s mother, says of what reunion was like after so long: Parisca hadn’t seen Machado since last May, and the children hadn’t seen her in two years. “The first day I saw her very tired and the next day she was recovering. There were several months of loneliness“, she tells ABC, referring to the 16 months during which Machado lived in hiding to avoid being arrested by the Maduro regime, whose prosecutor’s office opened several cases against her and which threatened to declare her a “fugitive” if she left Venezuela.
In this period of isolation, the opposition leader had to get used to self-managing in all facets of her life, even the most prosaic: “Mom, learning to do things she had never done, like washing, ironing, cooking… I don’t have anyone“, Machado told his mother after meeting him with her and the rest of the family last Wednesday, when he managed to land in Oslo, after a film trip to leave Venezuela. “But I learned to enjoy solitude“, he also told his mother.
Maria Corina Machado is not far from this scene. A few meters away, at the bar of the Grand Hotel, we see her discussing with the elected president of Venezuela, Edmundo Gonzalezperhaps by sharing work plans. Later, the former Colombian president joined them Ivan Duquegreat defender of Machado’s struggle and fervent critic of the Maduro regime. Duque also traveled to Oslo to accompany the opposition leader to collect her award, although she was unable to arrive at the ceremony in time.
A few minutes later, the winner meets her team members in another part of the hall, where they share hugs – which Machado so badly needed – and selfies, which the lucky ones will proudly show off later as if they were a piece of jewelry. Machado for many went from leader to icon.
This Friday morning, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition met behind closed doors with the kings of Norway, Harald V and Soniaand with Crown Prince Haakon, at the Royal Palace in Oslo. This is one of María Corina Machado’s first acts after leaving Venezuela.
María Corina Machado insists on not revealing any information about the extraction operation that brought her to Oslo
Before eating, the winner also shares some time with a small group of foreign media, to whom she insists not to reveal any information about the extraction operation that put her in Oslo. Machado, who confirmed that he had help from the United States to leave, is adamant on this subject.
Meanwhile, in the hotel lobby, we hear the movement of guests arriving and others already leaving, and a certain Venezuelan accent, that of the late ones who have not yet left.
Machado continues to move around the hall from hug to hug, always with a smile, from selfie to selfie. He meets his family and his team for lunch. Nobody bothers her. Security exists, but it’s discreet. As they leave the restaurant, timid applause is heard, which is quickly followed. It is the guests at the other tables and the hotel guests who recognize her. And she, with extraordinary charisma, smiles shyly and appreciates the gesture. The phenomenon Maria Corina Machado It’s more universal today than ever.
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