'I'm no racist'

[MickeyD]

Bitch slap deluxe!

Artist Brett Murray, in his affidavit, explains why he painted 'The Spear'

"At the outset, I would like to say that I am a proud South African and a former supporter of the ANC. I am not a racist. I do not produce art with an intention to hurt, humiliate or insult, and that includes the painting that has caused this controversy.

I emphatically deny that any such intention motivated the painting or exhibiting of The Spear. This will be borne out by my explanation as to the background and context of my work. The Spear has a dual purpose: it is a work of protest or resistance art, and it is a satirical piece.

I would like to explain my history to give a context to my work.

I was born in South Africa and raised, in the 1970s and 1980s, in a society that was perverted, controlled by corrupt, morally bereft politicians who treated South Africa - my country - as a personal fiefdom of their racist elite. To preserve their position of illegitimate power, tactics of intimidation, coercion, violence, manipulation, and misuse of intelligence and police forces, were the norm.

Censorship prevailed and freedom of expression was severely curtailed. White men, such as me, were conscripted into the army to take up arms against fellow South Africans, to fight a war we did not believe in against enemies that we considered to be friends.

I [therefore], in order to avoid conscription, studied for 10 years, and thereafter went into self-imposed exile in London until the ANC was unbanned and I returned to South Africa.

While I was studying, I was involved in anti-apartheid activities in the trade union movement, church groups, youth groups, and the End Conscription Campaign. As an artist, I produced and designed banners, posters, stickers, protest worker diaries and the like in support of the struggle.

It was growing up in this apartheid society that caused me, from an early age, to think about issues of power, race, politics, patriarchy, oppression and the manipulation of the media.

Indeed, these themes have by and large prevailed through my work as an artist over many years.

When I studied for my master's in fine arts, I reflected satirically on the apartheid regime. The works consisted of satirical figures describing policemen with dynamite in their ears, pigs as soldiers.

Like many other South Africans, I embraced the dawn of a new South Africa. I was teaching art at Stellenbosch University in 1994 when South Africa's first democratic election was held and, as a supporter of the ANC, I proudly cast my ballot on April 27 1994.

That day signified hope, freedom, an end to tyranny and the dawn of a new era for me, my countrymen and the whole world. South Africa moved from being a pariah state to being the proudest nation in the world.

As our democracy developed, cracks began to show in the way that the ruling elite was implementing the ideals of the Freedom Charter and our constitution.

From my perspective as an artist I felt a sense of betrayal, where heroes of the struggle now appeared to be corrupt, power-hungry and greedy, or where ideals that many had died or made sacrifices for were abandoned on the altar of expedience.

Over the past few years one ongoing narrative in our society has been the story of the first applicant [President Jacob Zuma]. For instance, in a judgment implicating the first applicant, a court found that the first applicant was closely linked to his former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, who was found guilty of corruption.

Another controversial feature of the first applicant's public life was the failure by the prosecuting authorities to proceed with corruption charges against him, notwithstanding the apparent existence of evidence to sustain such charges.

Details of the first applicant's sex life have been well documented in the public domain. Notwithstanding the fact that he has four wives, he has engaged in extra-marital sex on at least two occasions.

For me, satire is critical entertainment. While I might be attacking and ridiculing specific targets, what I am actually doing is articulating my vision of an ideal world in which I want to live . In this instance, that preferred ideal in the South African context is the Freedom Charter.

What satire can do in a political context is that it can be seen as a political contestation as it opens political debate.

The resulting debate that has surrounded this work is in itself evidence that this does happen and that artwork can provoke these debates, however unsettling they might be.

There is therefore no reason for artists to be censored, however uncomfortable this might be for individuals and for society at large.

For me, The Spear has a far broader meaning than some of the public discourse on its meaning, including the first applicant's interpretation. It is a metaphor for power, greed and patriarchy."

http://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2012/05/25/i-m-no-racist

 

[Creag]

He just got a huge platform to express his views . . . I hope he uses it wisely.

 

[Lycanthrope]

He just got a huge platform to express his views . . . I hope he uses it wisely.

+1

Excellent response.

Pity it will be lost on every single ANC crony out there and those who need to understand it most.

 

[MickeyD]

+1

Excellent response.

Pity it will be lost on every single ANC crony out there and those who need to understand it most.

It also highlights the cowardice of the ANC comrades that he spent time with while in exile and while doing their artwork for them pre-1994. Why have more of the comrades not come forward and defend him? Probably because they are the very ones he is depicting in his two Hail To The Thief exhibitions.

 

[_Jakes_]

Just shows you that it doesn't matter that you were once a member and supporter of the ANC the moment you criticise them you automatically become a racist. The third force

 

[Hemi300c]

Just shows you that it doesn't matter that you were once a member and supporter of the ANC the moment you criticise them you automatically become a racist. The third force

+1000

And what a beaut of a kick in the face to all the racist ANC followers.

 

[atomcrusher]

He states:

I was born in South Africa and raised, in the 1970s and 1980s, in a society that was perverted, controlled by corrupt, morally bereft politicians who treated South Africa - my country - as a personal fiefdom of their racist elite. To preserve their position of illegitimate power, tactics of intimidation, coercion, violence, manipulation, and misuse of intelligence and police forces, were the norm

Is he really so blind as to think that it is any different under the current regime?

 

[Mouse]

He states:


Is he really so blind as to think that it is any different under the current regime?

I think his point is, the people he previously supported have turned into the same sort of evil he was avoiding

 

[MickeyD]

He states:

I was born in South Africa and raised, in the 1970s and 1980s, in a society that was perverted, controlled by corrupt, morally bereft politicians who treated South Africa - my country - as a personal fiefdom of their racist elite. To preserve their position of illegitimate power, tactics of intimidation, coercion, violence, manipulation, and misuse of intelligence and police forces, were the norm

Is he really so blind as to think that it is any different under the current regime?

In context he continues...

From my perspective as an artist I felt a sense of betrayal, where heroes of the struggle now appeared to be corrupt, power-hungry and greedy, or where ideals that many had died or made sacrifices for were abandoned on the altar of expedience.

 

[PostmanPot]

He states:


Is he really so blind as to think that it is any different under the current regime?

Sounds like he's describing man and how absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Apartheid: You can't live with us as you're not wanted around us. You can't sleep with us as you're ungodly. You can't use our toilets as you're dirty. You can't have an equal education because you're stupid. You can't vote because you can't be trusted to know what's best for you. You can't have freedom of speech because what you have to say is not worth saying. You can't work in certain jobs because... Er... Well... We prefer you doing the hard graft for low wages etc.

AA/BEE: You can absolutely hire whoever you want. But because you whites have all the money, education and power (much of it for historical reasons) and show no willingness to involve you us in your workplace because of the propaganda they taught you about us, here's an incentive to hire black people too.

Just saying, it is different under the current regime, how ever bad the ANC may be.

 

[AstroTurf]

Sounds like he's describing man and how absolute power corrupts absolutely.



Just saying, it is different under the current regime, how ever bad the ANC may be.

Yes it is very different, the problem is that some are abusing this.

Also, the AA/BEE thing, many white people are getting sidelined, many of those white people were still in nappies, some were not even born.
And those that did support Democracy (the majority, according to a certain referendum) are being punished and having a nation polarized against them because they are white. Racism is racism. Race based law is racism, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

 

[Ekstasis]

Oops! I've made a terrible mistake by supporting the anti - Spear group. After reading Brett's statement I have to admit that this is a very good thing that happened.

The fact that we have these artists to bring about these discussions and exposure of problems enriches the democracy we claim to live in.

 

[MickeyD]

Why turn this into a AA/BEE issue?

 

[PostmanPot]

Why turn this into a AA/BEE issue?

I must ask the same @atomcrusher.

Anyway, AA/BEE aren't issues. They're solutions.

 

[porchrat]

Oops! I've made a terrible mistake by supporting the anti - Spear group. After reading Brett's statement I have to admit that this is a very good thing that happened.

The fact that we have these artists to bring about these discussions and exposure of problems enriches the democracy we claim to live in.

LOL took you long enough to see why freedom of expression is important. Welcome to the Light side.

 

[Eskimos]

The racism cry was weak from the ANC. If Zuma felt there was a defamation of character, then fine he could take a legal route but the ANC and its associates should never have gotten involed as it blew the entire thing out of proportion and then when 'two sides' were developing on the issue, race came into play.

He states:


Is he really so blind as to think that it is any different under the current regime?

Read it in context of the entire article.

 

[AstroTurf]

Why turn this into a AA/BEE issue?

Good point, sorry.

 

[MickeyD]

Good point, sorry.

 

[AstroTurf]

Anyway, it will make no difference to views of any but the educated.

a bit off topic but I think Zille makes the same mistake all to often.

Big words do not work when your audience speaks English as a 2n'd language.

 

[Eskimos]

Anyway, it will make no difference to views of any but the educated.

a bit off topic but I think Zille makes the same mistake all to often.

Big words do not work when your audience speaks English as a 2n'd language.

Its one of the reasons the ANC grew so cold towards Mbeki. By using a language in a way that the common person can't understand you are just distancing yourself from your supporters. Say what you like about Zuma but when it comes to giving speeches to the common man, he speaks in a way that they all can understand and agree with.