1,200 Venezuelans form part of the UAE’s growing Latin American population, which includes larger contingents of Mexicans, Brazilians and Colombians.

Dubai — Venezuelans are moving more than 12,000km from home to begin new lives in the UAE, away from the rampant crime, runaway inflation and contentious politics of their homeland.

According to Venezuelan Embassy statistics, as of late 2014, an estimated 1,200 Venezuelans live in the UAE, almost all in either Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

Venezuelans form part of the UAE’s growing Latin American population, which includes larger contingents of Mexicans, Brazilians and Colombians.

They work in a diverse range of fields including engineering, aviation and helping in people’s homes. The number, however, could be higher, as Venezuelan nationals are not required to register with their embassy upon arrival in the UAE.

At the moment, oil-rich Venezuela, a member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), is facing a myriad of difficulties. As the government struggles to respond to falling oil prices, inflation is running at the world’s highest rate — forecast to hit 200 per cent by the end of the year (for comparison’s sake, the world’s second highest inflation rate is 84 per cent in Syria).

With more than 16,000 murders a year, Venezuela has become one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Frequent protests against the country’s socialist government regularly attract thousands of people and cause severe disruptions in major cities.

Most of the Venezuelan expatriates contacted by Khaleej Times said they came to the relatively crime-free UAE to escape the rampant crime in Venezuela and its contentious, often chaotic politics.

‘Difficult to compare’

Hotel employee Alessandro Conte, who has been in Dubai for only four months, said it is difficult to compare life in the relatively crime-free UAE to that in Venezuela’s dangerous cities.

“Life here is totally different in every aspect, with security being one of the most important,” he said. “My country is currently in a situation in which you can’t even walk to the corner without someone robbing you or trying to take your life.

“It is the exact opposite here. You can leave your wallet full of money somewhere and rest assured that it will be returned to you with the same amount of money as when you left it.”

Software engineer Israel Fermin Montilla, who has lived in Dubai for a year and a half, echoed Conte’s views.

“I decided to come because I could no longer tolerate the insecurity in Venezuela,” he said. “My work was fine, but leaving my house was always high risk. It wasn’t a difficult decision. I know many people who are looking for any work they can get, anywhere.

“With regards to security, I’m super calm here. In a year and a half, I haven’t even heard of a single robbery, and just one murder in Abu Dhabi in which the culprit was caught on the same day.

“I’d like to return, but only when the situation is better. Time will tell. I don’t miss Venezuela, but I miss the people I left behind.”

A recent Venezuelan arrival, Abu Dhabi-based marketing professional Bernardo Diaz Velazquez, said he was drawn to the UAE out of an interest in Arab culture and the country’s economics, as well as a desire to avoid Venezuela’s political situation.

“My country is experiencing a situation that has created chaos in every aspect of life in Venezuela, but here everything is very orderly,” he said. “In Venezuela we are at the mercy of a communist government which has no interest in having minds capable of opposition in their territory.”

Homecoming

Like many Venezuelan expats, Velazquez said he wants to return to his country eventually.

“I want to return, but not in the near future. Many of my friends and families are already living in exile, but we all want to go back one day and help our country reinvent itself.”

“I will always miss Venezuela,” Alessandro Conte said. “Every time I say the word Venezuela, I feel a lump in my throat ... But the truth is that the situation has become so complicated that sadly I won’t return. If I do, it will be only to see my and family.

“I am very happy here. I am very thankful to the Emiratis and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for giving me the opportunity to come live here and grow personally and professionally.”

Maria Perez Morales, a dental surgeon, said: “Venezuelans are here doing all sorts of different things. We are of every style and every colour. It really is a representation of the country.

“I’ve met many, especially through work. Venezuelans and other Latin Americans find me. Others you meet through your day to day activities or in the church we go to on Fridays, or through friends. There is a big Venezuelan community here and we try help one another whenever possible.”

bernd@khaleejtimes.com