Mafalda is Back in San Telmo

There she was, all on her own, quiet, showing the hint of a smile upon her face, as if she was thinking about a famous quote of the many attributed to her. Yes, it was Mafalda in her light green dress that matches the ribbon on her hair, sitting on the edge of a white bench. Her feet hanging. The corner of Chile and Defensa Street has welcomed the beloved very porteño thinking character once outlined by Joaquín Salvador Lavado (Quino). Quino named her Mafalda, and surrounded her with a traditional family and a gang of friends with personal traits that remind everyone of the various cultures clashing at any porteño neighborhood. In fact, it was that neighborhood which adopted Quino. He lived for many years a few meters away from that corner, where he fed this character and his classic comic strips.

Chile Street is a magical porteño nook. Its cafés and steak houses are gathering points for artists. Café La Poesía (Poetry Café) lies on that very corner, just to confirm what we were saying about the area. Like all passer-bys, we had a picture taken of ourselves hugging that tiny body that has always given us so much tenderness. We revived her quotes, her joy, her rebelliousness and, especially, her anger when facing a bowl of soup. We had not seen Mafalda until we were standing next to her. It was a part of the environment and she seemed integrated to the sidewalk, to the bar next door and to those huge trees that partially covered the sky. The sculpture was made with the epoxy technique by artist Pablo Irgang. We all must take care of it so that it is not destroyed by the uncultured. That way, it will become a milestone of Argentinian culture. We were just leaving when a group of children caught our eye. They were struggling for a spot next to Mafalda on that bench. It is very unlikely that they have known her in depth but in their own way, they were paying their own homage. Mafalda managed to move us and made us search through our houses once again for the old comic strip albums we have read thousands of times. They were carefully kept along with the affection deserved by someone who has played such an important role in our lives.