Manuel Hernández, Multi-award Winning and Always Surprised

From Matanzas at last, of course Manuel had been part of the cultural pantheon that we revered since we were kids, so just in the second year of Journalism, we managed to get to his house and interview him.

This was more than two decades ago and he had just won the José Martí National Journalism Award, so we talked about the subject, but with Manuel there are no possible templates and the question ended in a story about the wife who discovers her unfaithful husband and tells him: I'm surprised!, to which the man replies: no, you're stunned, I'm the one surprised.

And Manuel did not have to be surprised by the recognition, but neither the recurring presence of his caricatures in national media like the Dedeté, a supplement to Juventud Rebelde newspaper , in Granma, Bohemia or Palante, nor his fame as an excellent painter and ceramist, nothing has been stronger than the folksy and humble nature of the farmer of Guamacaro Valley.

At almost 80 years old and with more awards, the 2006 National Humor Award, for example, Manuel has not changed a bit. These days they gave him the Honor Award of the First Biennial of Political Humor, held in Havana, and he accepted it with laughter and paying tribute to those who accompanied him on his long and fruitful path as a creator.

In the video my colleague Julieta García Ríos sent me, I met the same Manuel I had always known, the one who welcomed us 20 years ago and left us stunned, if not surprised, with his simplicity and authenticity: «I have always wanted to look like the Guayabero," he said on that occasion, and I dare say, with all due respect, that in the face of this great Cuban, Guayabero falls short.

Another story with Manuel

Adán Iglesias, cartoonist, caricaturist and director of the humorous publication Dedeté, told us: «When I had the responsibility of “managing” an exhibition to open the Gallery 23 and 12 with the theme of graphic humor, I did not hesitate to go and knock on Manuel's door.

«When we arrived in Matanzas, in the workshop where he works, on the riverside, he had nothing prepared, but he agreed to allow me the possibility of putting together his exhibition from published works. The anecdote comes into question to understand the productive work that he treasures in documentation centers and libraries that contain publications where his drawings appear.

«“Manuel is a Manual” was the title of that exhibition, on April 11, 2023, changed and improved the destiny of graphic humor in the country, by now having a space that even includes the commercialization of this genre.»

At that moment, the soft-spoken man from Matanzas told us: “I don't really like tributes, but I appreciate them because they are recognition of the work one has done for years; it’s like a dream, looking back and seeing some of the drawings I made, seeing that I have traveled, worked and used my life in order to grow and make others grow.

Like us, the journalist yougnsters he received in his house back in 2001, Adán notices and admires that, for Manuel, "his folksy way of life does not allow him to boast about anything," even though the imprint is undeniable:

«This generation we trained at Dedeté, we always feel the need to include their works in our publication, because they do not lose relevance. Despite his Asian eyes, he has eagle vision and, if you talk to him, always expect a good humorous reflection from the dialogue started.

«His alertness to fish for ideas is constant, and these can appear even in a simple dialogue. As he is half Asian, he has an enviable concentration. One time I went to visit him at Lolo's workshop, near San Juan, in Matanzas, and in order not to interrupt a piece of clay he was working on, I remained silent... Almost half an hour passed before he recognized me!

«The naturalness in presenting his jokes includes even the so-called political humor, or opinion, where he with huge naturalness exposes the enemy. I remember the comic where several North American military forces are active against a Latin American population and a general explains: These are the maneuvers, the invasion comes afterwards!

«In his drawings there’s no insinuations, there’s no political harangue, he doesn’t need it, because he knows how to perfectly observe and discover the weakness of the enemy. His Latin American character, who many say looks like him, is a spokesperson who always warns about it.

«He moves with ease in different types and works of general humor, like that of the girl who is on the road “hitch hiking” and under her skirt you can see many feet, he has taken to sculpture in his city. He is an essential and source of reference. Honor Award in Political Humor, more than deserved! »

More than a prize…

Another of his colleagues, Arístides Hernández, Ares, assured: "Since the event was thought and the idea of presenting the Honor Award for his career, it was clear to everyone that if any author deserved to be recognized with this award, it was Manuel Hernández Valdés. For Cuban caricaturists, he is the maximum expression of talent in this genre.

«Manuel is a versatile artist who has created a very unique way of doing things. He has been one of the essential pillars of what was the aesthetics of Dedeté, and has marked, in some way, all the production of Cuban graphic humor that has been done afterwards in our country.

However, what was publicly awarded to Manuel Hernández this week was, much more than a formal award, the gratitude and affection of those who have grown up with him: «To the admiration we feel for him due to his artistic creation is added the appreciation for being the great person he is. And he carries all this with the greatest modesty in the world.