Neither press conference nor solemn ceremony nor banquet. María Corina Machado's first appearance in Oslo after 12 years without being able to leave her country, her first public appearance after 16 months in hiding, was for her people, past 2:20 a.m. on Thursday. From the balcony of the Grand Hotel, the Venezuelan appeared to receive the mass support that Venezuelan travelers to the Nordic country had longed for and that the whole world had awaited. In the morning, the Nobel Peace Prize winner announced her intention to bring her prize back to Venezuela but refused to specify when she would return to her homeland. "I came to receive the award on behalf of the Venezuelan people and will bring it back to Venezuela at the right time. Of course, I won't say when," she told the press in Oslo.
Prior to this, Machado gave an interview to the BBC. "Of course, I will return. I know exactly the risks I face. I will be where I am most useful for our cause," the politician told the British media. "Until recently, I believed I had to be in Venezuela; today, I believe I have to be in Oslo on behalf of our cause," she added. "For over 16 months, I have not been able to hug or touch anyone. Suddenly, in a matter of hours, I have been able to see the people I love the most, touch them, cry, and pray together," she added.
"The Venezuelan government says I am a terrorist and that I have to spend the rest of my life in jail, and they are looking for me," she said. "So leaving Venezuela today, under these circumstances, is very, very dangerous," Machado admitted. "I just want to say today that I am here because many men and women risked their lives so that I could come to Oslo."
"We need to address this regime not as a conventional dictatorship, but as a criminal structure," Machado said, accusing the Maduro regime of being funded by criminal activities such as drug trafficking and human trafficking, and reiterated her calls to the international community to help Venezuela "cut off those flows" of criminal resources.
In Venezuela, it was still 9:20 p.m. on December 10 (coincidentally, Human Rights Day) when they connected through their mobile phones to follow the live broadcast by journalists and family members. With looks of disbelief, the Venezuelans who witnessed the historic moment broke into emotional tears, smiled, and applauded their leader, the woman who embodies the hope of recovering democracy in their country. The Nobel laureate was embraced with cries of "brave, brave!" She responded, with her arms open, shouting, "Long live Venezuela!"
María Corina Machado embraces her mother Corina Parisca Pérez while greeting in front of the Grand Hotel in Oslo.
The crowd, including Machado, sang the national anthem in an emotional encounter. At the same time, the Venezuelan blew kisses to the onlookers from the balcony, as well as giving hugs on the street, within a closed perimeter surrounded by hundreds of people.
The Nobel laureate reappeared safe and sound, wearing a simple outfit: jeans, a t-shirt, and a black jacket. Her family members fulfilled their wish to see, hug, and kiss the Venezuelan without a screen in between. "It has been incredible. I feel relieved," her sister Clara Machado told this newspaper with an immense smile and tears on her cheeks.
As close as she usually is, regardless of the accumulated fatigue from her long journey, the leader even came down to greet her compatriots and the press up close. She descended accompanied by her faithful companions in the struggle, Magalli Meda, Pedro Urruchurtu, and Claudia Macero. Her daughter Ana Corina and her mother Corina were by her side, as well as Jørgen Watne Frydnes, president of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and U.S. congresswoman María Elvira Salazar.
"You are the reason I will set foot on my land again," one of those present told María Corina while holding her hands. "We love you. Thank you for everything you are doing," they repeated. "The wait was worth it, every second, every minute, every shout," another attendee exclaimed.
María Corina Machado receives a rosary from a supporter after leaving the Grand Hotel in Oslo.
Meanwhile, she greeted the anonymous crowd up close with her hands, even climbing the railings to be even closer to the public. When she saw familiar faces, direct members of her party Vente Venezuela and friends, she embraced them in a heartfelt reunion.
"This is historic and unrepeatable," exclaimed Venezuelan writer Leonardo Padrón, who thanked Spanish People's Party deputy Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, also present, for her support of the Venezuelan struggle.
The euphoria of the moment erased the fatigue and the low temperatures. "With human warmth, I forget the cold," commented one of the attendees. Previously, Venezuelans entertained the wait by singing songs from their homeland and shouting "Long live free Venezuela" and "Long live María Corina Machado."
After a long journey with Curaçao as an escape route, the awardee arrived in Norway later than planned. She could not attend the press conference scheduled for the previous Monday or the activities prepared for the big day: the Nobel Prize award ceremony, the traditional balcony greeting to those who honored her in the 'Torchlight Parade,' or the exclusive banquet to culminate the celebration. Her daughter Ana Corina represented her at all events.
Hardly had a Nobel Prize generated so much uncertainty and expectation before. There was no room for one more person in the hotel lobby. Journalists waiting for any statement from her, followers wanting just to see her, and her friends and family eager to embrace her. And the Norwegian Committee organization breathing a sigh of relief because at least the last day of the agenda will be fulfilled in the presence of the protagonist.