Mario Miranda to promote Spain through cartoons?

Mon, Oct 29, 2007

The Economic Times notes that the National Tourist Office of Spain has invited Mario Joao Carlos do Rosario de Britto Miranda – better known as Mario Miranda, one of India’s better known cartoonists – on a trip through Madrid, Barcelona and Andalusia, with a view to using the artist’s cartoons of Spain to promote the country as a tourist destination. Why is a Spanish organisation looking to an Indian cartoonist to help promote images of Spain? Enrique Ruiz de Lera of the National Tourist Office explained: “If I talk about Spain people will be a bit sceptical because I am paid to do it. But if a resident of India and an influential person like Mario, does it, it will add more credibility.”

(one of Mario Miranda’s cartoons, borrowed from the website of the Indian Institute of Cartoonists, of which he is a chief patron)

Interestingly Lera first became aware of Miranda’s art after seeing a mural by him in the hotel he was staying in on Goa, which lead to a meeting where he wanted to buy some of his cartoons. It was later that he thought of him for the promotional work and in a refreshing move many artists will envy there doesn’t appear to be a contract – the whole thing is an open-ended, ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ deal where the artist may take his time and produce the images he wants to make rather than drawing to order.