South Africa outraged over Mandela autopsy painting
July 10th, 2010 - 8:01 pm ICT by IANSJohannesburg, July 10 (IANS) A painting which shows former president Nelson Mandela as a corpse undergoing an autopsy has evoked outrage in South Africa. The country’s ruling party has termed it “witchcraft” and “racist”.
Yiull Damaso, 41, parodied a 17th-century masterpiece by Rembrandt titled “The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp”.
The painting shows Mandela’s body covered in only a loincloth while Nkosi Johnson, a 12-year-old boy who died after being affected with AIDS, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President Jacob Zuma and former presidents F.W. de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki look over.
The painting has been termed an “insult” and “witchcraft” by the African National Congress (ANC), the Guardian reported.
Damaso, however, argued that South Africa must “confront a subject that remains almost taboo” - the future death of Mandela. The country’s first black president turns 92 this July.
The painting has the same name as the original by Rembrandt and has been on display for the past two days at a shopping mall in Johannesburg.
However, its reproduction on the front page of today’s Mail and Guardian newspaper in South Africa evoked outrage from the ruling ANC.
“The ANC is appalled and strongly condemns in the strongest possible terms the dead Mandela painting by Yiull Damaso,” said Jackson Mthembu, a party spokesman. “It is in bad taste, disrespectful, and it is an insult and an affront to values of our society.
“This so-called work of art is also racist. It goes further by violating Mandela’s dignity by stripping him naked in the glare of curious onlookers, some of whom have seen their apartheid ideals die before them.”
But Damaso is unrepentant, saying that he used the image to convey a political argument.
“We have Nelson Mandela, one of the great leaders of our time, and the politicians around him are trying to find out what makes him a great man. Nkosi Johnson, the only one in the painting who’s no longer alive, is trying to show them that Mandela is just a man. So they should stop searching and get on with building the country,” he said.
- Mandela 'corpse' painting evokes angry response in Jo'burg mall - Jul 09, 2010
- Newspaper, artist defend Mandela anatomy painting - Jul 10, 2010
- ANC slams Nelson Mandela twitter 'death' hoax - Jan 17, 2011
- ANC calls for media to stop speculating about Mandela's health - Jan 27, 2011
- Mandela looks healthy on TV - May 31, 2012
- Rumours of Mandela's death condemned - Jan 18, 2011
- Mandela never wanted to become South African President, says book - Oct 12, 2010
- South African speaker toasts Mandela-Gandhi spirit - Jul 10, 2012
- Nelson Mandela discharged from hospital (Lead) - Feb 26, 2012
- Mandela brought World Cup to South Africa - Jun 10, 2010
- Five more found guilty of attempt to murder Mandela - Aug 18, 2012
- South Africa to celebrate Mandela's 94th birthday in style - Jun 08, 2012
- Nelson Mandela hospitalised after stomach complaint (Lead) - Feb 25, 2012
- Former President Nelson Mandela discharged from hospital - Jan 28, 2011
- 12 mn school kids wish Mandela with birthday song - Jul 18, 2012
Tags: african national congress, anatomy lesson, anc, archbishop desmond tutu, curious onlookers, desmond tutu, f w de klerk, first black president, former presidents, great leaders, jacob zuma, loincloth, mail, nelson mandela, nkosi johnson, party spokesman, political argument, president nelson mandela, thabo mbeki, zuma