On September 30, we received the news that the much-acclaimed cartoonist Quino had passed away in his beloved hometown of Mendoza. “The problem is that there are more interested people than interesting people” “It is not that there is no goodness, what happens is that it is incognito.” These are some of the phrases written by Joaquín Salvador Lavado in his most popular cartoon, Mafalda. Mafalda was first published in 1964 and since then, it has been translated into around 27 languages. In the cartoon, Mafalda, Quino represented in the daughter of a middle-class couple constant questions about humanity and world peace. This 6-year-old girl who does not like soup, but likes peace has reached the homes of not only Latin Americans, but also countries like France, Japan, China and Taiwan. This innocent but serious and progressive character led Quino to be awarded with the “Prince of Asturias Award’ in Spain.
Quino is extremely respected in Latin America specifically in his native country Argentina where the shows of affection to the cartoonist are constant. Lavado stopped drawing Mafalda in 1973 due to the different political scenarios happening in Latin America. He continued to draw different cartoons published in newspapers and books. In 1983 after the democracy was back to Argentina, Quino moved to live among several cities which include Milan, Madrid, Buenos Aires and Mendoza. In 2006 he retired from his career as cartoonist that has filled the world with ideas, enjoyment and constant reflections.
The last years of his life he lived in his hometown Mendoza, where he received the constant affection of family, friends, pupils and fans. Quino is one of the most influential characters of the popular culture in Latin America since with his cartoons he makes us reflect on social problems and think about the search for world peace.
Photo took from: https://brasil.elpais.com/cultura/2020-09-30/morre-quino-criador-da-mafalda-e-o-mais-internacional-cartunista-da-lingua-espanhola.html