Graphic Content: South African Artist Ayanda Mabulu Humiliates President Zuma And Late Mandela In New Painting
Artist Ayanda Mabulu Humiliates Zuma: In another bid to show off his hatred towards President Jacob Zuma, controversial artist Ayanda Mabulu has taken his so-called “art” to a place no one would ever have imagined a South African would dare.
Once again, the social media is on fire and buzzing over the latest painting of the artist which showed President Zuma sitting in a compromising position with late former president Nelson Mandela.
Mabulu shocked the nation with the graphic painting which portrayed Zuma literally raping Mandela.
The crude and offensive drawing, which went viral on Thursday afternoon, however, got South Africans divided. While most people argued that the painting truly represents the state of the nation, others felt the artist absolutely crossed boundaries.
Most people vented their spleen, showing off much vexation at the humiliating painting.
I feel sorry for Ayanda Mabulu cos I feel he's so desperate to create a Spear-type furore to raise the price of his work + it never happens
— Rebecca Davis (@becsplanb) April 20, 2017
Ayanda Mabulu must've had a rough upbringing which involved too much disrespect & sexual misconduct. He's now taking his traumas out on SA??
— ?FORTU? (@MsFNdubane) April 20, 2017
That Ayanda Mabulu painting is one thing: violence. Rape, as has been pointed out many times before, is NOT a metaphor. It's not art.
— Abantu Book Festival (@Abantu_) April 20, 2017
I don't care about zuma BUT to involve Mandela – it too much ? …this ayanda mabulu guy ? pic.twitter.com/hnt1ROA2XO
— Zulu queen ?? (@nqobile_mhlungu) April 20, 2017
The defiant artist, in reaction, during an interview said the painting aims at condemning President Zuma’s continuous destruction of the country and its effects on the lives of ordinary people.
According to him, Mandela in the painting represents how Zuma treats South Africa since he took over power. He added: “The rapist is continuing to do what he is good at. The victims will be blamed. The oppressor will not be blamed. The focus needs to be on the doer of these things.
Nelson Mandela himself is not God. He is not the Messiah and he understood that himself. We‚ the people‚ are the Messiah. All the people who died before 1994 died in vain. They must be turning in their graves today‚ when they see the oppressor‚ the rapist doing what he does. He is constantly molesting this country.”
Meanwhile, Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO, Sello Hatang, has condemned the artwork. He said although he respects Mabulu’s right to freedom of expression, his painting is in bad taste.
“We recognise and acknowledge the rights of the artist and his freedom of expression, and it’s also true that we maybe as an example, we should take from Madiba’s life where Zapiro depicted him in a particular way… and Madiba, instead of taking offence, called Zapiro to his office and said thank you for holding the mirror so that I could then see this through satire.
We, however, do say that this is a piece of art that we find disgusting, and we do not believe that it helps take us anywhere in terms of the message that he wants to convey. It also says a lot about where we are. We have entered an era of vulgarity.” This is not the first time Mabulu is exhibiting a graphic painting of Zuma.
In taking aim at the president, a number of Mabulu’s works feature Zuma in revealing or sexually explicit positions.
Last year, he drew Zuma licking the butt of Atul Gupta in an aircraft cockpit in which an ANC flag can be seen.
Public calls for Zuma to resign have grown in recent weeks after the president reshuffled his cabinet‚ removing former finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas from their posts. Following the reshuffle, the country’s sovereign credit rating was downgraded to junk status.