Mafalda - Opening the Door to Argentine Spanish

This week we received the great news that don Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, an 81 year old Argentine, who on March 22 of this year received the French Legion of Honor in recognition of his lifetime work as cartoonist and social commentator, has been awarded this years' Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities.

Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón? Who is this guy? Well, let's start by simplify things a little just like his family has. Ever since he was a child Joaquín has always been called just "Quino".  Ah, yes…of course, Quino. Yes, that Quino.

Quino

When a Spanish speaker (especially an argentine) hears the name Quino they immediately associate the name with Mafalda. Mafalda is that little girl with the curly hair and bow that, together with her friends, makes us ponder our world and its ailments which is always accompanied with an unfeigned innocence and irony.

We've spent the last few weeks talking about intercultural questions and it ends up that we have right in front of us a valuable learning tool for our Spanish language classroom. We must also remember that the creative world of Quino doesn't end with Mafalda. He has an extensive body of work that goes beyond Mafalda which includes drawings and stories that transmit a biting social criticism, humor and tenderness. An important number of his publications offer the Spanish language teacher plenty of excellent and practical classroom material. Much of this variety is due to Quino's drawing style: Simple black and white drawings with detailed lines. Often, these cartoons will not contain any words because they transmit to the reader universal messages or ideas without the need to clutter or oversimplify.

I must admit that I am addicted to Mafalda and everything related to don Joaquín. Over the years I have compiled a very comprehensive Mafalda library at home. You can imagine how pleased I was when I discovered that Spanish publisher, Lumen, printed a series of books containing Quino's illustrations. These books have since been used repeatedly—and successfully, I must admit—in my Spanish class.

The Prince of Asturias Award in Communication and Humanities that don Joaquín Lavado is receiving is rightly deserved.  I also think that this can be a topic of conversation in the Spanish language classroom starting at the B2 level. The theme can be "The appropriateness (or not) of the names of things". Let me explain…

Evidently, Communication (with capital C), is something that isn't alien for don Joaquín because for almost 70 years this small, cross-eyed child of Andalusian immigrants has shown a capacity to communicate that transcends the borders of Argentina. His drawings have reached the far corners of the Spanish-speaking world and beyond. Now, Quino and his body of work has been recognized and admired all over the world.

Finally, the reference to the Humanities, as far as the prize goes, is inconsequential. This gentleman has struggled throughout his career to make us think and contemplate fundamental questions and topics like freedom of expression (not very easy when you consider the times during which he has lived), solidarity, stereotypes, class conflict and international relations. Thankfully, this taciturn and timid 80-something who is always smiling has opened a window that lets a little fresh air enter our lives along with a smile.