Minister of sport, arts and culture Gayton McKenzie decided to wield his ministerial power to withdraw SA’s participation in the Venice Biennale. The 61st edition of the prestigious international cultural festival – La Biennale di Venezia – will run fromMay 9 to November 22in Venice, Italy. For McKenzie to muzzle artist Gabriel Goliath’s artistic expression due to his love for Israel is mere censorship of art.
Surely, the country’s policy should be the one dictating, not the minister’s personal preference, more so that it’s the taxpayer’s money bankrolling Goliath’s art exhibition, not his. Secondly, the minister should be reminded that artists are not in the arts to serve the interests of politicians. As an artist, Goliath is absolutely correct to raise the forgotten horrors of Namibians and to remind the world about the daily struggles of the innocent Palestinian children.
McKenzie’s support for Israel shouldn’t imprison the free spirit of artists. Rick Rubin writes: “The world is only as free as it allows its artists to be.” The creatives must stand firm behind their fellow artist against the minister’s power and his imagined ghost of foreign forces. – Jerry Tsie
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