The signs leading up to the Platteklip Lodge and Wash Houses in Van Riebeeck Park, where the launch of Zapiro’s annual collection of cartoons was to be held, already had guests giggling.
On the signs the launch was aptly titled a “shower”, bringing to mind Zapiro’s depictions of president Zuma, for which he has repeatedly come under fire. From the tongue-in-cheek title of the collection, Don’t Mess with the President’s Head, one can see that this is an issue that has dominated Zapiro’s work this year.
“The shower has become a wonderful device for me,” said Zapiro. Most recently he has been using it as a barometer: When Zuma does something questionable, the shower is creepy and close to the president’s head, when he does something commendable it ascends heavenwards like a halo.
Zapiro was introduced by comedian Nik Rabinowitz who had the guests in stitches, especially with his impersonation of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
On a more serious note, Rabinowitz thanked Zapiro for “his courage to say what many of us want to, but don’t have the courage to say; for giving a voice to the people and for an uncompromising commitment to freedom of expression.” Most of all, Rabinowitz thanked Zapiro for his good sense of humor: “He lets us think about sensitive issues, without having us dwell in the quagmire of negativity.”
President Zuma still has two lawsuits hanging against Zapiro: one for R 7 million and one for R 2 million. The SABC has also refused twice to air a documentary on satire, featuring Zapiro’s depictions of the president. “It has been a year of insults,” Zapiro said, but he is not the only one who has had names hurled at him. In 2009, politicians have been calling each other “everything from black sheep…to white messiahs”.
And Zapiro will go on doing what he does best, despite the criticism. He’ll just have more material to work with.
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