Der Schizophrene und des Kaisers neue Kleider

Slavoj Žižek über den angeblichen Gebärdendolmetscher bei der Mandela-Trauerfeier, Auszug:

"I remember how, in the first "free" elections in Slovenia in 1990, in a TV broadcast by one of the leftist parties, the politician delivering the message was accompanied by a sign language interpreter (a gentle young woman). We all knew that the true addressees of her translation were not the deaf but we, the ordinary voters: the true message was that the party stood for the marginalised and handicapped.

It was like great charity spectacles which are not really about children with cancer or flood victims, but about making us, the public, aware that we are doing something great, displaying solidarity.

Now we can see why Jantjie's gesticulations generated such an uncanny effect once it became clear that they were meaningless: what he confronted us with was the truth about sign language translations for the deaf – it doesn't really matter if there are any deaf people among the public who need the translation; the translator is there to make us, who do not understand sign language, feel good.

And was this also not the truth about the whole of the Mandela memorial ceremony? All the crocodile tears of the dignitaries were a self-congratulatory exercise, and Jangtjie translated them into what they effectively were: nonsense."

(den ganzen Text findet man auf der Webseite des Guardian)

Sankt Madiba

Selten wohl hat der Tod eines Staatsmanns ein so uneingeschränkt positives Echo gefunden. Wann findet schon sonst eine Trauerfeier in einem Stadion statt und 90 amtierende oder ehemalige Staatschefs nehmen dran teil (nur die fiesen Israelis natürlich nicht)? Solche moralischen Instanzen wie der Dalai Lama und die Talkshow-Moderatorin Oprah Winfrey sind präsent, Reden werden unter anderem vom Oberimperialisten Obama und dem Oberantiimperialisten Castro geschmissen... Selbst Marine Le Pen konnte sich eine Würdigung des weisen, alten Mannes nicht verkneifen, nur dass dort insbesondere dessen patriotische Gesinnung hervor gestrichen wird. Auch in Luxemburg ist die Presse unisono, die Zeitung vum lëtzebuerger Vollek würdigt heute den "grossen und engen Freund der Kommunisten, während das Luxemburger Wort, das zu Zeiten des kalten Krieges Mandela für einen "Terroristen" hielt, von einem "Held unserer Zeit", einem "Gandhi" von heute, spricht.

 

Da tut es doch gut auch mal eine Stimme zu hören, die sich von diesem Einheitsbrei abhebt, in diesem Fall einen südafrikanischen Anarchisten, der dieses Bild doch etwas zurecht rückt (übrigens war auch Gandhi kein Gandhi):

 

"Mandela should be seen as the poster boy for the failure of political parties and for reformism. The ANC – whatever they consider their achievements, are nothing more than a party of gangsters, careerists, and anti-working class scumbags. Apartheid ended over twenty years ago, so what has changed? The black working class of South Africa has a new set of spivs, bosses, and politicians to oppress them.

You only have to look back on the various mine massacres by the security forces last year to see that not a lot has changed – I am given to understand that Mandela’s grandson is a part owner in one of those mines. Thirty years ago it would have been just white police officers shooting unarmed black miners in the back, now it is a mixture of white and black police officers doing the killing. Truly a massacre fit for apartheid.

Apart from an end to apartheid/segregation, has the lot of working class black South Africans improved? Not at all, unemployment, homelessness, and poverty are rife. However, there are a group in South African society who have benefited since the collapse of apartheid. They are of course the Mandela family:

Quote:

“Company information showed the Mandela children and grandchildren had, over the past two decades, been involved in about 200 companies extending over a wide range of sectors, including real estate, investments, railway engineering, minerals, medical firms, fashion, and entertainment. Mandela's eldest daughter, was an active director in 16 companies, including the South African subsidiary of the Swiss multinational food giant Nestle, a shopping centre in Kimberley, two railway engineering companies, and four companies apparently engaged in mineral exploration.”

Nelson Mandela himself – who left prison penniless – has a fortune that his family are now fighting over like vultures. Clearly a far cry from the lives of the average South African who generally do not have a pot to piss in!"

(Quelle)