Pronounced ve-nə-ˈzwā-lə

Ah, the soap opera… The beloved telenovela. Used to be a time that, after oil, they were our Number One export. And they will sometimes go into really melodramatic ways, ways that would make All My Children feel like The Wire. Until this one came —Por Estas Calles (translates into “Through These Streets”). This was the first soap opera that tackled social responsability, and is yet considered the pinnacle of Venezuelan television. It ran for almost four years —small, compared to General Hospital, yes, but in a country where most series peter out after four or five months, that’s a testament to its significance.