Political cartoonist Momo Gaga’s (魔魔嘎嘎) new book tells the history of Taiwan over the past 400 years through fictional characters that personify different regimes.
A Beautiful Island Fantasy: Secrets of Formosa (麗島狂想:FORMOSA的祕密) covers Taiwan from China’s Ming Dynasty, through the Japanese colonial era and the period following the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) arrival, she said.
The narrative is told through everyday events that happen to the protagonists, in a bid to demystify historical topics, she said.
Photo: Chen Yu-hsiun, Taipei Times
“Art should also express concern for the nation. An artist should have their own core ideology,” Momo said.
Momo, who grew up in a pro-KMT household and in the past was apolitical, said she became involved in politics about the time of the 2014 Sunflower movement.
She became involved in the Taiwanese independence movement and began expressing her political views through comics.
When she began sharing her work online, it drew mixed reactions, with some criticizing her as being too subjective and extreme, but she never lost her determination to continue drawing, she said.
Protagonist Hsiao Wan (小灣) overcomes personal struggles to become a Taiwanese localist, and throughout the book, Hsiao Wan must deal with the arrogant and despotic Lung Erh (龍兒) — described as “Mr Perfect” — as well as the ruthless A-kung (阿共), who eyes Taiwan covetously from the shadows, Momo said.
Among the historical events covered in the book are the petition for a representative assembly in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial era, the KMT’s plundering of resources after its arrival and the 228 Incident, as well as more recent events, she said.
Some of the real people mentioned in the book are still active in politics, Momo said.
She said she hoped younger readers would become interested in politics and develop a Taiwanese consciousness.
Many young Taiwanese follow the news, but do not know the history and background of current political issues, she said.
Her aim was not to teach Taiwanese history, but to foster an interest in history and encourage critical thinking, Momo said.
“I only wish to spend all of my days on this depressed, but hope-filled, beautiful island, and to be a tried and true Taiwanese,” she said.
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