Arts & Culture

There is a hell of a lot of talk at the moment in the country about the reaction of Lulu Xingwana, minister of Arts & Culture, in Johannesburg. For those who don't know the story, a brief synopsis:

Minister arrives at art exhibition sponsored by her department for R300 000.
Minister sees photos of black woman nude and embracing by Zanele Muholi.
Minister storms out of exhibition calling photos "pornographic" and "immoral" and "against nation building ideals".
Country very upset.

Yesterday I spoke to a friend who called her a representative of our constitution, and it does not matter if she has a personal dislike for the material. I now realise, a word for word quote by someone else.

My issue is as follows. If she had an issue with the nudity and the pornographic nature, I agree with her. I am equally disturbed by how many "artists" get away with palming off porn on us, labeled as art. When does porn become art? Is a picture of male genitalia art when its on canvas, but porn when its on my cell phone? I do agree that our society has lost allot of moral ground because we desensitise our self with pornographic images in the name of art.

Young school boys and girls can buy an art book portraying images of naked males and females, in very provocative poses, but they are not allowed to buy a Hustler magazine. Now there is the idea that porn is made for sexual gratification, and art is done for the artistic value. A 13 year old boy is going to get exactly the same "feelings" from an "art" book as he is going to get from a porn magazine. I also don't think that just because she is the minister of arts & culture, she has to abandon her moral fibre, or is it accepted for ministers in this portfolio not to have a moral compass at all. I believe that if something is offensive to her, she has the right to express it. I also don't like "nude" art, as I think it is something private, and people who pose for this, has no inner moral shame or respect for themselves.

On the other hand, if she stormed out because it was two woman embracing, again, I agree with her. It is against nature for two woman to be together, and for a man and a woman.... It should be men only!!!!!!!

Seriously though. I am not as upset as the rest of the country. I believe she has a right to say if something offends or crosses her own moral boundary, and that boundary should not move because of a job, or because of the nation saying so.

EVERYBODY...get off your high horses, and look at your own moral compasses.... Besides, have a look at the artists work, Zanele Muholi, some of it is really not fit for showing in public.