Comic Strip PEPITO Keeps Puerto Ricans Informed After Hurricane María

Oct 6, 2017
2:45 PM

EDITOR’S NOTE: We received the following release from the creators of PEPITO, and we wanted to share it with you.

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — Since Hurricane María passed a few weeks ago, Puerto Rico has had virtually no way of communicating.

Misinformation is rampant and the radio seems to be the only medium you can count on. Still, there’s hope for the people of this island. A beloved comic strip which is followed by most islanders continues to publish its biting satire laced strip, bringing a bit of humor and truth to an already tense situation. The strip is called PEPITO, and features a rambunctious 6-year-old. PEPITO touches on sensitive social issues with humor to create awareness.

And now those lucky enough to find a WiFi signal (very rare) can follow the strip.

PEPITO was cancelled just a month ago after being published in a leading newspaper for over 10 years. When news of the cancelled strip got out, the entire Island rallied against the newspaper and the Government, and supported the creators of the strip. Many called to cancel their subscriptions and vowed to never again read the paper.

For so many Puerto Ricans, the decision was an attack on freedom of artistic expression.

But PEPITO’s creators, Harold Jessurun and Aníbal Quiñones are determined to keep PEPITO alive and posted on its Facebook page daily. (It has over 100,000 followers.)

“The people need to know what’s really going on here in Puerto Rico. Not everyone believes the little news that few are able to find, but if PEPITO denounces something, people are more likely to believe it,” Jessurun said.

To contact the comic’s creators, email them here.