The Media

The Media Industry

The South African voice, culture and history are shown to us through the eyes of the media, but surely culture and history are the property of the each citizen? I believe that for the nation to be free, they must take ownership of their stories and share them themselves instead of allowing the media to take hold and manipulate these stories. If this were to happen, people would be active agents in how their image and history is represented.

The Media has generally been very critical of South Africa undoubtedly because of their historical past- it was simply a feast for the media. However, the media also has the power to shift the global view of South Africa into a more positive stance.

 History & Media, Available at: http://www.africanholocaust.net/ah_about.htm#media [Accessed on 27/11/11]

The events and media industry toil together, events get put on and the media speculates and broadcasts its happening. This is a win-win ordeal – the media gets news and the events gain publicity.  When looking at South Africa from a cultural perspective we can see how these industries have had a significant effect on how the world interprets South Africa, I am not only talking about sporting and leisure events but also the momentous political events. I am going to analyse and discuss how businesses in South Africa used the media industry  to change the worlds perceptions of South Africa by displaying the ‘’rainbowness’’ and apparent multiculturalism of the ‘new South Africa’ particularly during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The media happens to be a manipulative and powerful industry, sometimes its construal is not entirely correct and yet people tend to believe it solely without inquisition. This example shows how the media has used advertisements to expose a somewhat altered ‘reality’. The famous Castle Larger displayed an advert showing South Africans of different races enjoying the beer together, the tag line was ‘’One Beer One Nation’’ I think the underlying implication of this quote was that in the New South Africa, there was dual citizenship and people were now equal - hence the repetition of One, implying cohesion. Although this scenario was constitutionally true, I think it was culturally and realistically very different. Another example is the slogan for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) ‘Simunya – We are one’’ which also implies the same message of a united nation.

Political Event

June the 16^th marked a significant time in South African History – it was the day Sowetan schools protested against being taught in the Afrikaans language. It is now known as National Youth Day.

This photo of Hector Pieterson became an iconic of the 1976 Soweto uprising, the image became a symbol of struggle and confrontation towards the apartheid government; it was universally recognised and displayed a state of affairs that could not have been portrayed using words alone. This image shook the whole world. I am using this example to indicate how the media used one image to expose how corrupt the South African state was -this clearly demonstrates how effective the media industry can be.

Sporting Event

I was in South Africa during the build-up towards the 2010 FIFA World Cup; I noticed that the advertising industry had transformed its motives. They were now focusing on amplifying and representing the countries concord, I suppose this was their way of showcasing the transformation South Africa was undergoing and essentially inviting the world to witness. This example shows the media in a positive spectrum because it is in the media’s interest to set out a positive image of South Africa to the world, the industry wants to entice the potential FIFA World Cup spectators.

 In my view, the media should stop attempting to project this view of a rainbow nation whereby all cultures and races interact and live in harmony because it is not entirely correct. Yes we have seen a huge conversion in South Africa but this’ rainbowness’ is merely an illusion. I think people should embrace in their cultural differences and accept that race is a part of it. We should celebrate the countries liberation and the autonomy of individuals and their cultures. We should also come to terms with South Africa’s past in order to move forward and anticipate the future of South Africa.

 

Available at: Google books: Health communication in Southern Africa: engaging with social and cultural diversity. Edited by L. Lagerwerf, H. Boer, H. Wasserman, Chapter 6 [Accessed on 27/11/11]4