I meet Mike Centeno, Anna’s husband, at the «Paid off loan» party. He is a cartoonist who left Venezuela 10 years ago. In one of his fanzines, he explains that when nostalgy is too strong, he sometimes use some virtual glasses to see Caracas.
«My brother left before me, and I followed him. Since then, I can see the decline of my country from outside, without a possibility to do anything about it. It’s hard. I draw comics. Some are autobiographic, but most of them are fictions in offbeat or futuristic worlds. I always add a political dimention in my stories. I am happy to be able to live in the United States : I am part of the lucky ones who could leave. But being in another country without the possibility of going back home is difficult. It is different than just traveling.»
«Some Venezuelan say to me, «Trump looks super great. The left part is crap, our country is dying because we voted for them.» What can I say ? I try to explain that the solution is not good either on Trump’s side. We have only one planet, and the nature ressources are ending. How could we improve the situation with a strategy of hate and isolation ?»
