{South Africa’s governing African National Congress party has criticised a school for displaying students’ artwork which “borders on racism”.}<\/p>\n
The exhibition included images of ANC leaders, including President Jacob Zuma and Nelson Mandela, printed on T-shirts as part of an end-of-year art exam.<\/p>\n
The ANC said they ridiculed its leaders with one labelling them “fakers since 1994”, when white minority rule ended.<\/p>\n
But the school in Durban denied there was any racial motivation behind them.<\/p>\n
Headmaster Trevor Hall said Westville Boys’s High School in Durban was committed to a “non-racial democratic South Africa” and apologised for any offence caused by the T-shirt images.<\/p>\n
The visual art syllabus included a section on social and political commentary, he said.<\/p>\n
{{‘Derogatory’}}<\/p>\n
One of the satirical T-shirts has a picture of Mr Zuma posing as the Bakers man – the emblem of Bakers Biscuits – with the word “Fakers” over his head.<\/p>\n
Senzo Mkhize, the ANC’s spokesman in KwaZulu-Natal, said such captions were “derogatory”.<\/p>\n
“It is unacceptable for a school’s management to allow individuals with their own agendas to ridicule and insult the leadership of the country in this manner,” he said in a statement.<\/p>\n
He said the party was made aware of the T-shirts by a member of the public who saw them displayed at a local shopping mall in Durban.<\/p>\n
“We view this as an attack on the ANC and on the country since the South African flag [is] featured in the background,” Mr Mkhize said, calling on the school to investigate the incident and sanction those behind the designs.<\/p>\n
“We cannot allow people who are hell-bent on employing underhand tactics to fuel hatred that reminds us of the dark days of apartheid.”<\/p>\n
But Mr Hall told South Africa’s Daily News paper that “no particular political or social bias is encouraged” during the course.<\/p>\n
“Pupils are free to make their own commentary on society, as is their right,” he is quoted as saying.<\/p>\n
It is not the first time artwork has angered the ANC.<\/p>\n
Last year, the governing party demanded that a controversial painting of President Zuma with his genitals exposed be removed from public view.<\/p>\n
The artwork caused a furore with some saying President Zuma’s right to dignity had been violated, while supporters said it was a question of freedom of expression.<\/p>\n
The ANC dropped legal action after the gallery agreed to remove the painting, which was vandalised whilst on display.<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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