When all this whole ballyhoo started I thought I was in for a good laugh, as I had noted before, through this entire chapter where some really talented artists have set about on ‘individual’ quests to come up with the best painting of South African political 'heads' (or overseers if you like), in the NUDE. This whole drama is a bit too much, if you ask me, but In the meantime, ladies and gentlemen, find a comfy spot wherever you are, it’s about to get really electrifying.
After my earlier post, which was more of a rhetoric really, as to why Brett Murray had set out to depict the South African President the way he did, I find myself looking at a different picture altogether. Not only have his actions sparked a lot of debate in the higher echelons of political affairs, he has somewhat stirred millions of people out of their somewhat ‘peaceful’ slumber.
This was not just an ordinary slumber, though. It was one that I would say each and every South African was enjoying. Good or bad, it is always heartwarming to see citizens of this Rainbow nation go about their daily business without breathing down each others’ neck for different reasons that are at times unknown to the rest of us.
Democracy is still tender and young in this country, and truth be told, its actions like that of Brett Murray that drop in as salt on the vulnerable wounds; and just like a dying fire, it takes an ounce of gasoline to get the flames glaring again.
Maybe people still need time, don’t you think? Maybe the majority isn’t ready to embrace these ‘latter-day’ tenets, theories and norms that the world is currently sharing. Every part of the world has its own culture, and those who still hold theirs in high regard shouldn’t be shunned or seen as ‘flat-minded’. ‘Our wagons are pulled in different ways and by different means’.
That is why It didn’t come as a shock that two men walked into the Goodman Gallery with ‘pots’ of paint, only to deface ‘The Spear’ painting. The flames have started to flicker, and it demands men and women who will tackle these issues amicably, before such a diminutive tumult spills over like viscous lava, burning all in its path, and causing great pain to all those who have been standing on the sidelines; and much greater pain to those who have suffered to great lengths in preserving peace in this part of the world. Why should hostility persist?
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| DA leader Helen Zille; the late AWB leader Eugene Terre' Blanche; Koos de la Rey and cartoonist Jonathan Zapiro, in a painting by artists from Johannesburg (image from web) |
This chapter has also led to the most recent portrait of DA leader Helen Zille; the late AWB leader Eugene Terre' Blanche; Koos de la Rey and cartoonist Jonathan Zapiro, also painted naked by ‘infuriated’ artists in Johannesburg. It does not do much justice in disentangling the damage already done by Brett Murray, I should say. In this country, ‘eye for an eye’ will never work to anyone’s advantage. All those who have closely followed South African history would concur.
It does not come as a surprise, too, that Helen Zille laughed it off. I didn’t expect her to run off to the courts to lay charges against these artists; in the midst of the ongoing ‘fracas’ that Murrays’ painting has brought about. Maybe it was just wrong timing for these 'fellas' to retaliate with ‘The Shield’, when ‘The Spear’ has already perforated the hearts and minds of millions of South Africans.
To me, it suddenly looks like a ‘Tom and Jerry’ sequel. The cat chases the mouse, and the mouse certainly has to flee. But, who is the cat and who is the mouse? Is it worth the chase, and is all this worth our attention? Like I said, grab some popcorn, people, the drama is surely about to intensify.
Till next time, stay away from any canvas, a brush and a ‘pot’ of paint folks.
1 comment:
Murray and the others represent the mouse and Zuma is the cat.lmao
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