Joana Estrela is a Portuguese comic artist who was a volunteer in 2012-2013 with the Lithuanian Gay League in Vilnius, as the organization prepared to host the 2013 Baltic Pride. A graduate in communication design from the University of Porto’s Faculty of Fine Arts, Joana began drawing comics about her experiences in Vilnius. These comics became her first book, Propaganda, published by Portugal’s Plana Press and released this May. Joana will present about her work at the Mozaīka office on Thursday, July 17 at 18:30 and answered some questions for Skapis about her book.
How did you start drawing comics about your experiences as a volunteer with the Lithuanian Gay League? How did the stories become a book?
I drew a few pages while I was still there, right from the start. It was mostly for my own entertainment, during some boring work-less hours in the office. And during the whole year I took notes of things I wanted to draw when I got more free time, at home. On a Christmas break, still in 2012, I went back to Porto and had a meeting with Plana. They had seen my previous work and wanted to start a project with me. I showed them some of the drafts and we started planning a publication.
How did you end up volunteering with LGL? Were you involved with any activist groups in Portugal before that?
No, I was never involved in activism. I had just finished school and had no idea what I wanted to do next. A friend told me about EVS programmes and, while searching for vacancies, LGL’s volunteer positions poped up. I had always been curious about the Baltics, and the work description sounded perfect for me.
How did your experience being queer in Lithuania differ from your experience in Portugal?
People ask me this a lot and it’s soooo hard to answer! Specially because my experience in Portugal changed along the years whereas in Vilnius I stayed for a much smaller period of time.
Nonetheless, in Vilnius I had a lot more queer friends. And I was working in LGL. So, LGBTQ related matters came up more often, in conversation and in my daily life. I learned a lot from it and made me reflect on things I didn’t think all that much before, at home. So I can say that I found my orientation in Portugal, but it was in Lithuania that I first began to understand a sense of community, a movement and queer culture in general.
Are comics or books with LGBTQ themes common in Portugal? Does your publisher publish others?
There are LGBTQ books and I think there were some few comics with LGBTQ characters, but as far as I know this is the first comic book that is more specif on the subject to be published in Portugal. Plana had published some comic artists before but not on this theme.
What was your best experience in Vilnius? What was the worst?
Baltic Pride! and Baltic Pride! On one side, it was really rewarding to be part of it. It made me incredibly happy that all the events went well, that people seemed to have fun and I felt like my work mattered and I was part of something bigger and special. On the other side, it was very nervewracking. Some of the organization work could have run much smoother than it did, we were a small team doing a lot of stuff and I think I spend the whole month of July feeling a bit stressed out and overwhelmed.
What kind of response have you received with the book so far?
