๐ South African Artist - ๐ Brett Murray, and a ๐ Commentary on Our Political Situation Here in ๐ South Africa ๐
Here in South Africa, we have a strange political climate. Twenty-three years after apartheid, we are still slowly progressing from an apartheid state to a free nation.
South Africa is a beautiful, culturally rich country, with 11 official languages. The Rainbow Nation as we are called, has a short (four hundred years) rollercoaster of a history.
Of course, with this sort of background, we have a very active art and literature scene. I snapped these shots of Brett Murray's prints, which were displayed in a coffee shop near where I work.
Referred to by critic Brenda Atkinson as "the dark prince of South African pop (art)", Murray is one of the country's most popular artists, often using easily recognisable media images with the addition of a subversive and bitterly funny twist.
Murray's work addresses the wars of the cultures, the clash between Afrocentrism and Eurocentrism, the old and the new South Africas. "With my work I hope to critically entertain. Through satirical and tragic reflections on South Africa, I hope to shift people's perspectives and change people's minds, indulgent, arrogant and pretentious as this might sound," he says
Brett is most well known for painting our scandalous president, Jacob Zuma, with his genitals exposed. The ANC wanted to sue Brett for defamation, but I don't remember anything ever coming of that.
This is a portrait of our wonderful (rolls eyes dramatically) president. Accused of rape, and known to not have furthered his education past elementary school. He has also been involved in many cases of corruption but has not been found guilty as of yet. cough cough
Amandla is a Zulu and Xhosa word meaning "power". The word was a popular rallying cry in the days of resistance against apartheid, used by the African National Congress and its allies. The leader of a group would call out "Amandla!" and the crowd would respond with "Awethu" or "Ngawethu!" (to us), completing the South African version of the rallying cry "power to the people!" The word is still associated with struggles against oppression.
How fucking sad that so many people fought for freedom, fought with their lives for our country and now these corrupt politicians' have allowed their greed to ruin our precious country. South Africa has a high poverty percentage, and work is scarce, even for those with an education. Goddammit, I am angry!
We have a campaign here called "Zuma Must Fall". It's basically a campaign calling for the impeachment of our idiot president. Last year, this time, there was a Zuma Must Fall march. It was a heart swelling day to see all of my fellow South Africans united against corruption, regardless of race, creed or age. AMANDLA!!
I hope and pray for my future children's sake that our beautiful country will become free of corruption. We live in a unique and special place, and I would hate to leave.
My hubs @morkrock's band's song "African Son" describes it best, I think. Give it a listen below.
Itโs my home itโs where Iโll stay and where I belong. I didnโt choose to be here, I was born. I might seem out of place here but everything I hold dear is under the African sun
Great post @princessmewmew great song too #forGeorge
Much love from the states and best of wishes to the South Africans rallying against corruption and oppression!
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dankie, @jacoknoetze! very kind of you
:) Plesier !
You're kicking ass!
I try, I try.
thanks :)
This is what we are all praying for. I am a foreigner, my children are not but South Africa is where I live and has become my home. So we do pray for country free of corruption.
Thank princess for sharing this with us.
@seyiodus.
Great post and a lot I wasnโt aware of
Praying for the right changes to improve things there
You can see the whole senselessness of the political problems in SA on the image with protesters and the "no1 is above the law" poster: They are all white. In a country with >80% non-whites that is a major sign that the rainbow doesn't work. There should be at least 1/3 black protesters to make it a half-way representative image of the population.
I guess in the long-run there will be a white zone with internal autonomy and the big ran-down rest of SA with Zuma in charge - or god knows, maybe even Malema (in that case, I would run).
I donโt think race comes into it when corruption is king. I think we are all fed up. There were loads of different people at the March.
I hope you are right, but among those ~150 faces I see only some 3 black-ish faces (to the left of the poster). That's not enough. And don't forget: Malema offers the fight against corruption too. How many white faces do you see there?
But Malema is bloody idiot?
And that is one picture from a very busy day where there were thousands and thousands of people marching.
Since when is that part of the criteria for politicians? More than 1 in 20 of people in SA support him directly and on every DA member comes one crazy Malema supporting nut head who would like to have what the other 4 own..
I would find that very unsettling.
it is a bit. But i truly believe that there are enough people who care, and this won't happen. The majority of people who are working and supporting their families work too hard to just let their money and assets be taken.
Where are you from? Sounds like you are a Joberghie. ๐
lol.. what's a Joberghie?? I'm from a bit further away. Germany and I only read about politics in SA. So, you are the expert in this case;-)