The African National Congress has described artist Ayanda Mabulu’s latest paintings of President Jacob Zuma as a “grotesque act of vulgarity and disrespect”.
ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said they portrayed Zuma in a demeaning and hyper-sexualized manner. He described this as a violation of the right to freedom of speech.
“The ANC condemns this form of commentary and views it as an abuse of the right to freedom of speech and media.
Mabulu’s exhibition is a grotesque act of vulgarity and disrespect; and a blatant violation of the right to dignity of those portrayed‚” he said.
“While the Bill of Rights promotes the right to freedom of expression‚ the right to human dignity of all individuals — regardless of their standing in society‚ is inherently of equal value. In our hard-won democracy‚ it should not be that artistic license should trump or be used as an excuse to trample on the human rights of others.”
The ANC‚ he said‚ had taken note of how Mabulu consistently relied on a “particular symbolism” to advance his commentary. “Common amongst these include the portrayal of black leaders in the form of baboons and‚ as in this instance‚ crude sexualization. These are all symbols of colonial anthropology that views black people as hyper-sexual beasts who think through their genitalia and are only intellectually competent on a scale similar to baboons.”
The anger expressed in some quarters‚ he said‚ was justifiable.
“The ANC calls on all defenders of media freedom‚ freedom of expression and the arts to also condemn this excessive conduct; taking place as it does at the Constitution Hill the seat of the apex court of South Africa‚ which is tasked with protecting the Constitution; and in particular the Bill of Rights. This call extends to institutions such as the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) who must not turn a blind eye on media practices that offend the very principles that they seek to defend.”
Kodwa said the party would make no further comment on the saga.
Zuma paintings a "grotesque act of vulgarity"‚ says ANC
ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said they portrayed Zuma in a demeaning and hyper-sexualized manner. He described this as a violation of the right to freedom of speech.
“The ANC condemns this form of commentary and views it as an abuse of the right to freedom of speech and media.
Mabulu’s exhibition is a grotesque act of vulgarity and disrespect; and a blatant violation of the right to dignity of those portrayed‚” he said.
“While the Bill of Rights promotes the right to freedom of expression‚ the right to human dignity of all individuals — regardless of their standing in society‚ is inherently of equal value. In our hard-won democracy‚ it should not be that artistic license should trump or be used as an excuse to trample on the human rights of others.”
The ANC‚ he said‚ had taken note of how Mabulu consistently relied on a “particular symbolism” to advance his commentary. “Common amongst these include the portrayal of black leaders in the form of baboons and‚ as in this instance‚ crude sexualization. These are all symbols of colonial anthropology that views black people as hyper-sexual beasts who think through their genitalia and are only intellectually competent on a scale similar to baboons.”
The anger expressed in some quarters‚ he said‚ was justifiable.
“The ANC calls on all defenders of media freedom‚ freedom of expression and the arts to also condemn this excessive conduct; taking place as it does at the Constitution Hill the seat of the apex court of South Africa‚ which is tasked with protecting the Constitution; and in particular the Bill of Rights. This call extends to institutions such as the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) who must not turn a blind eye on media practices that offend the very principles that they seek to defend.”
Kodwa said the party would make no further comment on the saga.
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