The Pakistani Spectator

Would you please tell us something about you and your site?

I’m a 25 year old political illustrator and full time teacher living in Brussels, Belgium. My official website is benheine.com. It presents a selection of my creations and publications. My blog, benjaminheine.blogspot.com is more active and updated almost everyday. It contains my graphic creations with news article, poems, etc.

Do you feel that you continue to grow in your drawing the longer you draw? Why is that important to you?

Yes, I feel a constant evolution in my work. I feel there is even more to do to achieve better technical results.

I’m wondering what some of your memorable experiences are with blogging?

There are plenty. I love the way virtual things sometimes become reality. I’ve met some bloggers in Brussels or abroad. This is the most important thing for me. I met great people, bloggers and activists such as Mary Rizzo, Marco Riciputi, Mohammed Omer. And I intend to meet many more bloggers in the near future.

What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers?

I keep my blog frequently updated. I communicate a lot with other bloggers via email. I write and receive comments on different posts.

What do you think is the most exciting or most innovative use of technology in politics right now?

Thanks to the easiness to create websites and blogs and to all the gadgets that can be used, almost everybody can now express its viewpoint in the political sphere. I think that’s a tremendous step forward for individual freedom of expression.

Do you think that these new technologies are effective in making people more responsive?

Yes, I’m convinced that all these new technologies make the communication process easier and faster and help people being more reactive to the news.

What do you think sets your site apart from others?

I think my site is attractive because I update it regularly with original creations referring to day to day political and social issues. I believe that a subtle combination of words and images is the key to a successful communication.

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be?

The ability to conceptualize things and people in a graphic rendering.

If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s paid for - what would your top 3 choices be?

- Qalqilia, Palestine
- New Delhi, India
- New York, USA

What is your favorite book and why?

My current favourite one is Le Parfum by Patrick Suskind. I read it a long time ago, but it remains in my favourite. I like how precisely every single object is described.

What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?

I often pay attention to their facial attributes, their grimaces, the way they smile, laugh, speak, shout… I often imagine their personality, their voice.

Is there anyone from your past that once told you you couldn’t draw?

Fortunately, nobody never asked me to stop drawing or creating. But several people opposed to my political ideas tried to censure my work, to make me have other political views or asked me to focus on less sensitive themes. One of the most sensitive and difficult issues I have been heavily working on as a cartoonist is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

There are many commercial possibilities nowadays via specialized advertisements websites. As far as I’m concerned, making money is not my first goal when I blog.

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?

I don’t think so. I believe a blog is similar to a little machine. It takes a hell lot of time to build it. Once it is launched and working you need to continually feed it with interesting and valuable information, or else it won’t get any visits. If you want to change what’s wrong in this world, to have an influence on the international or national political life, to denounce and be a voice for the oppressed ones, you need to get many people involved in what you’re doing.

What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world friendlier and less hostile?

With blogs, each one of us can denounce injustices happening everywhere in the world. Speaking about these injustices and promoting peace and democracy is a way to change the world in a positive way.

Who are your top five favourite bloggers?

Desert Peace (Steve Amsel)
Poetic Justice (Mark Prime)
Peter S. Quinn
Mike Palecek
Thomas van der Straten

Is there one observation or column or post that has gotten the most powerful reaction from people?

A post with a critical portrait of Avigdor Lieberman generated a significant reaction and hundreds of comments from bloggers a couple of years ago.

I think that’s a country in constant evolution with a rich past. It has gone through difficult times. I believe it will become a leading nation in the coming decades.

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger?

Yes, I’m thinking for instance about Steve Amsel, who started from scratch to become one of the most famous and important bloggers reporting daily on Israel/Palestine.

What is the most striking difference between a developed country and a developing country?

The fact that citizens in developed countries’ tend to feel “superior”, which is stupid.

What is the future of blogging?

I think blogs and bloggers will become more important in the future. There will be the creation of “bloggers communities and spheres” with bloggers interconnected together.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?

My blog helps me to promote my creations and meet people in the real world.

I’m gonna publish soon several new illustrations on Obama’s presidency and then make portraits of some famous people.

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?

Keep having a critical eye on everything that happens around you and thanks for your time reading this intertview!