DON’T MESS WITH THE PRESIDENT’S HEAD

Cartoons from Zapiro drawn from Mail & Guardian, Sunday Times and The Times take a dissecting look at South Africa today. (Review by Caroline Smart)

Whether or not you agree with his views, there’s no denying that Zapiro (Jonathan Shapiro) has an extremely sharp brain, an all-seeing eye and a biting sense of humour. He’s also fearless. Which is certainly what he needs, in order to be a cartoonist commenting on the ups and downs of the political scene of South Africa today.

Don’t Mess with the President’s Head, the Zapiro Annual 2009, is the title of his latest collection of cartoons drawn from Mail & Guardian, Sunday Times and The Times. Zapiro is the acclaimed editorial cartoonist for these newspapers and his previous cartoon collection, Pirates of Polokwane, was the no. 1 bestseller for in South Africa for a record five weeks in a row. His most recent awards include the MISA Press Freedom Award, the Vodacom Cartoonist of the year award and the Mondi Shanduka Newspaper award for Graphic Journalism.

He’s considered widely as the conscience of the nation and nothing and no-one escapes his satirical pen.

The title refers to the shower head which he firmly affixed to each portrayal of President Zuma’s head after a much-publicised court case at the time he was President-Elect when he was accused of rape. Zuma made the misguided remark that in order to avoid AIDS, he had a shower afterwards. The shower has become a barometer of how Zapiro sees Zuma’s decision-making. A good decision sends the shower into hovering position; a bad one sees it firmly plonked back on the head again. The cartoon of the book sees Zapiro judging the distance ratio while at ground level, Zuma is protected by bodyguards.

However, it’s not only president Zuma who comes under fire – Zapiro puts ANC Youth League Leader Julius Malema and his ill-judged outbursts firmly in the spotlight as well as Kgalema Motlanthe’s time as president and the formation of Cope. His Hark the Herald Angels Cringe is wickedly irreverent but cannot fail to draw a smile. We follow the trials of Zapiro’s image of the justice system, a blindfolded woman carrying a set of scales. Sometimes she wins … sometimes, she loses. Mainly, she loses.

Memorable images are the tribute to Miriam Makeba (cleverly positioned in the shape of Africa); Oback Obama’s presidential win; a giant figure of China handles South African foreign policy in the form of Minister Nkosazana-Dlamini Zuma while the Dalai Lama is refused a visa to attend the SA Peace Conference. The shoes of a giant Nelson Mandela in 1994 shrink through the term of Thabo Mbeki to the point where Zuma uses it to batter Mbeki into insensibility. Then there’s Telkom’s gunshot answer to Winston, the pigeon that dared to deliver faster than the Telkom’s ADSL. A long queue sees its snake head emerge the other end of the polling station with the comment “Promises” … and the question is asked: “Is the spirit of Polokwane Johnnie Walker Black Label?”

Through humour, one can entertain as well as educate – Zapiro handles all three admirably.

Don’t Mess with the President’s Head is published in paperback by Jacana EAN/ISBN-13: 978-1-77009-757-5. Recommended Retail Price: R140 – Caroline Smart