The Cuban comedian Geonel Martín, known for his beloved character Gustavito, opened up in a recent interview about his life outside the island. From Miami, the comedian spoke candidly about what emigration has meant to him and surprised many by confessing that, despite everything, “he was happier in Cuba.”
Martín explained that his decision to leave was not driven by ambition, but by necessity. “I left because I wanted to be happier and because my children needed a country like this, not like Cuba, which is in ruins,” he shared during his participation in El Show de la Familia Cubana. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the happiness of the past was linked to simple things: “Your childhood, your friends, your first love… those things don’t come back.”
Amid laughter and nostalgia, he recalled his last tour on the island, where he was welcomed with the same affection as always. “There were six performances in Matanzas, and when I left the hotel, the line was huge. I was moved, I cried. I didn’t think people still remembered me like that,” he said. “In twenty days, I earned five thousand dollars, but the real value was feeling that love from the audience.”
Now adapted to life in Miami, he admits that nostalgia creeps in from time to time. “I go to Cuba, and after 15 days, I want to return. I come back here, and after 15 days, I want to go back,” he confessed, laughing. And although he doesn't lose his sense of humor, he knows what he would change if he could: “We need to remove all those people who have been destroying the country for years and teach people to fight for what is theirs, not to just wait for everything to be handed to them.”
Now, amidst personal projects and the peaceful life in Florida, Geonel enjoys the present without forgetting where he comes from. “I was happier there,” he says, “but here I found peace. And that, at this stage of life, is also invaluable.”
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