Comments on: Return of the Censors

By: garrygarner

garrygarner — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:07:16 +0000

would you like to fuck my behind

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By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 22:49:06 +0000

i don’t understand why with every group of ministers, art has to get the most obnoxious, propaganda pushing donkey who has no clue about art or at least willing to open up their minds to it. zanele’s work is phenomenal by the way.

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By: Poets Yvette Christiansë and Gabeba Baderoon Respond to Minister Lulu Xingwana | BOOK SA - News

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:40:32 +0000

[...] [...]

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By: Theuns Kruger

Theuns Kruger — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:56:47 +0000

Two things:

1) The fact that Zanele Muholi’s exhibition drew such a wide-ranging response – especially Lulu Xingwana’s response – again shows that art by definition is meant to evoke a response, and that it has, in this instance, succeeded beyond all expectations. Well done Zanele!

2) The fact that Lulu Xingwana – our esteemed Minister for Arts & Culture – is a prejudiced bigot and homophobe speaks again about the government’s inability to appoint the right people for the job. Maybe she was just another politician ‘rewarded’ for past loyalties, and not for her interests, qualifications or skills set. Lulu also completely misses the message that the exhibition was meant to convey. May a course in art appreciation can be offered to enlighten and educate the esteemed Minister…

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By: Marcel

Marcel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:21:31 +0000

An open end debate by the looks of things,my queries are as follows, is the minister of arts and culure a artist or just another self inriching politician. Number 2 who is to say what art and what is not art, ignorant politicians? and just a personal requesite more, more, by that i mean a more liberal ,educated south africa for our future generation.
Lets free homosexuals and let us not fear for fear will get us on the same frequency as Uganda.

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By: arnaud

arnaud — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:26:35 +0000

OH thank you @Everything is said, ju speak from my heart. The monstrosity of 4 x 4 and depravity of nouveau riche diamonds of whatever sparkle ,colouring the FOEFIE 20010 landscape ….! prescribing morals, the one ………and the other… and HIM !
makes me sometimes just a little bit to much of that little bit angry in an overpowering sense. experiencing the primal essence of anger which sociology, psychology, psychiatrics, pills etc could not cure. I hate them. all. as I hate myself. Protestant power , goes all the way back to Nietsche, will to power. I believe myself as chaos within chaos. (Benjamin)Yes ,and despite , I paint those imaginations of horror and everyday of a life to be. thats been…? I am familiar with “exploring the parameters” as slang will have it. @Thinker. Thank yu too. an incredibbly powerful picture I needed unpacked. Yes, I got myself thinking intensevly in this Blog Dialogue. And I want to congratulate the photographer for her chutzpe to unleash this. Respect Zanehle Muholi Zanehle.! Iif you are with the lion and Daniel in the den, is it wise to step on the lions tail? and when yu do it, yu should know what yu are doing, Bless all

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By: Thinker

Thinker — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:01:16 +0000

@ arnaud – to take one small statement as an example, but without you realising that you actually conceptualised a deep truth by saying: “a white dildo on a black lesbian, it HAS to be ART !”…. that on its own is a powerful image, if you really want to unpack it. Exactly some of the struggles of black lesbians, there is not readily black skin colour dildos available, as accessible and frequent (if at all) than white skinned dildos.

Second point on the same sentence – if you look beyond the “porn” rethoric… another way to start analysing the message in that image: black women, black lesbians, black bodies have a her/history in this country of being ruled and policed [and raped] by white dicks (patriarches, privilleged white [men] and oppressors…)

Rather try to think of the layers of messages in this image.

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By: now is everything

now is everything — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:23:44 +0000

Well, if we’re really concerned about the plight of our children, it’s unlikely that a few lesbians with strap-on accessories are going to change society (and morality for those who are so obsessed with theis concept) as we know it. If I were a parent I’d be far more concerned about basic needs like food, shelter, political stability – all of which are under greater threat from climate change than the sexual preferences of a small minority
Arnaud, if you want to channel your concern more effectively I suggest that you focus on your neighbours who ferry their kids to school in monsterous 4X4′s and waste precious electricity simply because they can afford to. This isn’t easy because they have been raised to think that this is perfectly normal and justified, just as you have grown up with a firm idea of what is morally acceptable for everyone.
The reality is that throughout history Art has always transcended what any society has considered morally appropriate. At its best Art has shown the way to new thinking when moral crises have presented themselves – just as climate change will shortly challenge the values that everyone has considered appropriate thus far.
Your objections are based more on a personal discomfort with the lifestyle choices that others have made and the willingness of an artist to share this with humanity in a way that amplifies ambiguity and compassion. It’s time to accept that the art of others will often transcend your personal parameters and that they have just as much right to disseminate this as you have to advocate your notion of morality.

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By: arnaud

arnaud — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:59:24 +0000

@ brandon. Point taken. Visual activist is a good description. I like it.. I however don’t subscribe to the ‘Lord of the Rings’ scenario. That is a horrorscenario of children acting as their peers do. I concur rather with Henry Miller who believed that if children (innocent and unspoilt they come into the world) were to rule, the world would be a better place. This may be Naive, but I prefer being naive to anything goes. You see, Henry Miller cleaned out puritanism in literature for good, but despite that was never immoral. I suggest you read the ‘Paradise Lost ‘ chapter in ‘Big Sur abd the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch’.
It is reckless and irresponsible NOT to think of children, they are after all the most vulnerable in society, I think of children as equals and treat them as such . Think of them as small adults and us as their Guardians. A child does not know what sex is , at the onset of puberty things change. From then on they can do what they like, have babies at 14 years of age, catch the virus and enjoy all the freedom they wish for.

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By: brandon edmonds

brandon edmonds — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 07:29:06 +0000

Using children as a yardstick for anything besides judging the effectiveness of a clown at a birthday party is idiotic. Using children as a yardstick for ‘what we should allow in the public domain’ is terrifying. It suggests a Lord of the Flies type kid-ocracy where complex questions are settled with a stick (not all that far from American geopolitical hegemony come to think of it). There’s a brilliant recurring South Park joke whenever a crowd gathers someone always yells hysterically “What about the children?’. It’s sloppy opportunism to foist children into the moral fray. Stop it. Muholi is a ‘visual activist’ first and foremost. Her art is inherently political.

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