M&G, artist defend Mandela painting
2010-07-09 22:20
Cape Town - The Mail and Guardian has defended itself and the artist behind a painting depicting an autopsy of Nelson Mandela, after it was accused of racism and "witchcraft".
The newspaper and the artist, Yiull Damasco, have come under heavy fire for the painting which appeared on the paper's front page.
The ANC has condemned the painting, calling it racist and an act of "witchcraft".
"In African society it is a foreign act of ubuthakathi (witchcraft) to kill a living person and this so-called work of art which is (sic) also racist," the party said in a statement.
It said depicting a naked Nelson Mandela was an insult to Mandela's dignity.
"Why would anyone dream of a dead Madiba?" it said.
The meaning of the painting
The party also questioned the integrity of the media that have run with the story, accusing the Mail & Guardian in particular of "gutter journalism and soulless sensationalism which knows no limit and will exploit anything to increase its bottom line".
But Mail and Guardian deputy editor Rapule Tabane argued that Damasco was grappling with the state of the country's current politics, and the meaning of Mandela in that context.
"You might say that it asks the question 'what killed the special spirit that Madiba brought to our national life?'," he wrote in an SMS to Sapa.
"It should not be seen as a reflection on or anticipation of the literal death of Madiba as a person, but as an enquiry into the state of the nation and its iconography.
"That is the kind of work artists do all the time. We draw no conclusions as to whether this painting is good art or not, but we believed there was a story to report, and that to do so without reproducing the image made no sense under the circumstances."
Meanwhile, Damaso told News24 he was unaware that the depiction of a living person as dead was considered witchcraft in African culture.
"African culture is not my culture. And I've never heard that from people I've come across," he said.
He had no wish to see Mandela dead, said Damaso, adding that witchcraft only worked if you believed in it.
He said his upbringing as a half Portuguese half Italian child for 12 years in Zimbabwe had taught him how to handle diversity.
"I used to get smacked and beaten because of it (being culturally different). I learned how to ignore radicalism in other people's cultures," he said.
On his website Damaso explains that the painting shows that Mandela "is just a man, the same as those viewing him, the same as you and I. Mr Mandela made decisions in his life that enabled people to see him as they do. The collection of viewers (is) in a position in their lives to make decisions that will enable people to see them in a similar manner".
Engaging
He told News24 he believed the controversy caused by the painting based on Rembrandt's The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp was because people "struggle to accept the death of Nelson Mandela".
The painting features late child Aids activist Nkosi Johnson performing an autopsy on Mandela while Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former president FW De Klerk, ANC heavy weight Cyril Ramaphosa, DA leader Helen Zille, government minister Trevor Manuel and former president Thabo Mbeki look on.
The point of the painting, Damaso said, was to get South Africans talking about the roles of leaders in society.
"When people stand in front of the painting, they start talking about our government; our leaders... what are they doing," he said. "It's engaging."
Damaso said he had no plans of removing the painting from public view.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation, which has previously locked horns with Damaso over his paintings of Mandela, declined to comment.
The Mail & Guardian reported on Friday that the painting, displayed in a store in Johannesburg's Hyde Park shopping centre, had elicited complaints including one from a friend of the Mandela family.
Click here to see the painting on the Mail & Guardian website.
