The government should be separate from art (and civil society in general) in a power sense. Politicians are power hungry and threaten a form of censorship in order to gain votes. And people will self-censor because of the power politicians may exert. We should not be in bed with government. Zanele should never have invited the minister to open for her.
David Goldblatt, photographer
Deeply dissapointed in the minister's attitude towards freedom of expression. She is against nation-building because of the intolerance she displayed towards lesbians. The Arts and Culture Department should respect, protect and promote art - that is their mandate. The money government gives to art should not be used to persuade or censor artists.
Melissa Moor, Director of Freedom of Expression institute
(Whatever it is) it is art, and you don't have to like it.
Jenny Crwys Williams
What the minister did is unconstitutional. Some people's understanding of art is impoverishing, they think art is a service to the poor people. Its about monuments, galleries and culture to the government. It is not valued in itself. Art requires autonomy, otherwise we will all be involved in a system of propaganda.
Dr Achille Mbembe
The photos weren't sexual. They were making associations about the posing of the bodies. The poses were intimate, but not pornogrphic. The censorship suggestion reminds her of apartheid era where we were marked for our work, judged, censored. Because the ministers position it said that these pictures were unacceptable, officially.
Dawn Lindberg
What the minister did amounts to Restraint of Trade.
Caller
David Goldblatt, photographer
Deeply dissapointed in the minister's attitude towards freedom of expression. She is against nation-building because of the intolerance she displayed towards lesbians. The Arts and Culture Department should respect, protect and promote art - that is their mandate. The money government gives to art should not be used to persuade or censor artists.
Melissa Moor, Director of Freedom of Expression institute
(Whatever it is) it is art, and you don't have to like it.
Jenny Crwys Williams
What the minister did is unconstitutional. Some people's understanding of art is impoverishing, they think art is a service to the poor people. Its about monuments, galleries and culture to the government. It is not valued in itself. Art requires autonomy, otherwise we will all be involved in a system of propaganda.
Dr Achille Mbembe
The photos weren't sexual. They were making associations about the posing of the bodies. The poses were intimate, but not pornogrphic. The censorship suggestion reminds her of apartheid era where we were marked for our work, judged, censored. Because the ministers position it said that these pictures were unacceptable, officially.
Dawn Lindberg
What the minister did amounts to Restraint of Trade.
Caller
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