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South Africa sends a warning

wrm, a reader from South Africa, mentioned in recent comments a draconian secrecy bill SA’s government is contemplating and a cartoonist called Zapiro who creates good, pointed cartoons.

I thought these two ‘toons, which appeared on successive days, fit our situation as well as SA’s (especially in light of recent bill introductions blogged earlier today). Substitute the word “freedom” for Zapiro’s “democracy” and you’ve got it.

Cartoon showing government person painting the cartoon frame black

"Missed a spot" -- government figure comes back and obliterates the cartoonist's signature

4 Comments

  1. Bulucanagria
    Bulucanagria November 29, 2011 8:44 pm

    ooof!

  2. wrm
    wrm November 30, 2011 3:28 am

    That fellow wearing the shower head is supposed to be our President Jacob Zuma. He got the shower head after admitting (at the rape trial) that he took a shower after having unprotected sex with an HIV positive AIDS activist (he was found not guilty of rape).

    He doesn’t like Zapiro, there’s a court case pending because of this cartoon http://www.zapiro.com/cartoon/122794-080907st

    Obviously the second cartoon is not exactly true… yet 🙂

  3. Claire
    Claire November 30, 2011 12:19 pm

    wrm — Ah. I figured that was Zuma, but had no idea what the shower head was about. OMG. And the other cartoon you just linked to … man, that’s raw. And good. I think I’m becoming a Zapiro fan.

    Weird. Obviously, because there’s a court case going on over a mere cartoon, I’d guess SA doesn’t have more legal freedom of expression than we do here in the “land of the free.” Yet if a major U.S. cartoonist drew a cartoon like that of any American president, the howl of political correctness would be so loud he’d probably be forced to apologize and would lose lord knows how many syndication spots.

  4. bumperwack
    bumperwack December 1, 2011 10:32 am

    So much for “majority rule”

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