Kari Soumalainen: A fine Finnish cartoonist

 If a person has very good experience, in depth knowledge and knows the art of convincing his opinions then that person most likely to be taken seriously than others.  Power centers seek comfort level to that person and avoid conflict; if power centers fail to do this then they just try to shut him/her up.  When Finish cartoonist Kari Soumalainen, exposed The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics then USSR did every possible thing to silence his art.

Kari Soumalainen started to work for the newspaper called Helsingin Sanomat in 1951. This newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat was under political censorship by the Russian authorities, prompted by the paper's strong advocacy of greater Finnish freedoms and even outright independence. Kari Soumalainen was famous for comments on the social happenings by skillfully using stereotypes and letting people feel mighty things as common by his cartoons. He tried to reduce power distance by cartoons. For an example USSR who was dominant world power, considered as the second world that used to bully Finland in her policies. Kari Soumalainen in many of his cartoons showed fallacy in USSR approach toward small region like Finland.  TIME magazine praised this Kari Soumalainen‘s effort by commenting following thing for an article dedicated to his work,`( Kari Soumalainen ‘s cartoons) set Finland's political leaders to quaking in their boots, and delighted his countrymen by seeing Red with a sharp satiric eye.’ . Kari Soumalainen when got commended for this work he said that it was his duty to be an anti-communist.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Finland was beginning a new era in its history without any restrictions from the east specially USSR.  Kari criticized very strongly on the decision to open doors to immigrants and war refugees, Somalis in particular (he drew them in a fashion that left little doubt of his opinions concerning blacks in general and Somalis in particular).

Kari Soumalainen‘s cartoons changed the way people looked at the political parties in Finland. Urho Kaleva Kekkonen, Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland; was his favorite model to draw cartoon on.  Kari Soumalainen man of principles stopped drawing cartoons on him when Urho Kaleva Kekkonen became president in 1956 by abiding "unwritten law" forbidding caricaturing the president.

(translation)You can no longer travel safely in this city. Context is missing. You can spot two of Kari's signature cartoons right corner, walking on the street.

In his professional career, Kari Soumalainen left the main stream publication for ideological difference with their editorial line. Kari Soumalainen started working for local publication. Kari Suomalainen also wrote crime stories. He authored a book which features three short stories about inspector Wilson that were published in the Finnish pulp magazine, Lukemista Kaikille. Later Kari Suomalainen’s cartoons became monotonous and old fashioned as per his critics. However Kari Suomalainen was brilliant in peak professional time, he has set moral, ideological guidelines for future Finnish artists. Not only Finland but world will remember his contribution to Finnish patriotism.