If the cultivators of this art have always agreed on something, it is in that maxim where it is said that “laughing is something very serious.”
Even more so when humor and satire express life commitments and convictions or invite questioning thinking and reflection on collective ways of being better.
All these roots are intertwined in the work and legacy of Antonio (Ñico) Mariño Souto, founding cartoonist of the recently deceased Palante Humorous Weekly, to whom the Union of Journalists of Cuba dedicated a space this Thursday to remember him without mourning with the help of family members. , friends, colleagues and admirers of his work, which was accompanied by the first vice president of the union organization, Bolivia Tamara Cruz.
The prolific comedian, known among other things for being the creator of the comic strip The Best Friend, ventured sharply into journalism through his drawings full of political humor, social criticism and the analysis of international events.
He brought the practice of the profession to such a degree of mastery that he accumulated multiple exhibitions and foreign recognitions, framed as an invaluable element in the graphic heritage of Palante.
Colleagues of the stature of Elson Concepción Pérez describe him as an advanced exponent of Cuban humor within the Revolution who set standards from many questioning and transforming aspects of reality.
Ñico’s characters, he said, concentrate an extraordinary imprint of many years, the initiator of a particular style in national journalism, and for which he will always be remembered as a very serious comedian.
Reminiscences of a professional who deeply loved his work and duly took charge of transmitting it to new generations, even unconsciously.
Whoever writes it is impossible not to go back to memories of an increasingly distant childhood, back in the 2000s, where he avidly devoured the pages of Palante and among his favorite sections those signed by Ñico and Lacoste stood out. He will always remember his subtle messages accompanied by background that to a certain extent influenced that sometimes misunderstood sense of humor.
An anecdote that leads one to wonder how many childhoods he marked with his strokes and how much of the society that we are today and aspire to be was woven by the cunning of that comedian who always had the responsibility of making people laugh so clearly.
