Jerusalema vs Julius Malema

I am a bit deaf. Never mind dof. When your hearing is “challenged”, the brain scrambles to make sense of what is being said, testing options. Suggestions tumble forth. Seemingly unlikely pairings merge into homophones (not homophobes).

Homophones are “words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling”. For example, Jerusalema and Julius Malema. Say each quickly and you’ll understand that to a partially deaf person they sound similar. When President Cyril Ramaphosa advised South Africans what to do on Heritage Day, did he recommend Julius Malema or Jerusalema? Fortunately copies of the written word were available.

“There can be no better celebration of our South African-ness than joining the global phenomenon that is the Jerusalema dance challenge. So I urge all of you to take up this challenge on Heritage Day and show the world what we are capable of.”

This was received with such excitement, you’d have thought Tweeto Mboweni had discovered a new way to open a tin of pilchards. Social media are awash with #Jerusalemachallenge variations. Heritage Day fever. There is a South African flavour to the international Jerusalema phenomenon.

Originator DJ Master KG (Kgaogelo Moagi) and vocalist Nomcebo Zikode produced a few versions before Jerusalema went viral in June. South Africans have adapted and adopted Jerusalema themes. Such celebration is wonderful after six months of strict Covid-19 lockdown. People have been cooped up for so long, there can surely be no harm in celebratory song and dance.

Let’s do it. Yet there is a whiff of what Roman poet Juvenal called “bread and circuses” – superficial appeasement to distract attention from problems. Imperial Roman amphitheatres hosted brutal spectacles designed to entertain. There were gladiatorial fights to the death between German, Spanish, Welsh, Britannic and African contestants.

According to online resources (including Montgomery County Community College. MCCC. edu) there was political significance in the use of conquered people, including Russian nomads, and Jews from Jerusalem(a).

“Using the defeated enemy to entertain the public” emphasised triumph and victory. Rubbing it in. Think about that while you dance for Ramaphosa. Finance Minister Mboweni is a modern exemplar of bread and circus tactics. Undaunted by a lack of culinary finesse, he regales the Twitterverse with Magoebaskloof dinner tips.

Some find this amusing but Karin Morrow received support for a Monday tweet: “Am I the only one who finds Tito’s escapism into bad cuisine neither entertaining nor a fun distraction … could he at least show that the crisis his party has got us into, is taken seriously.”

Truths about South Africa’s junk financial status cannot be glossed over. Optimists look to Mboweni to hold the line against spendthrift tendencies of his comrades. Yet, despite his stated intentions, Mboweni has been unable to prevent the government once again bailing out SA Airways.

After being criticised for weakness on this, he responded with tweets about the need for mature compromise, plus a flurry of appetite-shedding photographs of his latest gastronomic misadventures.

Heaven help us if Ramaphosa and Mboweni are this country’s best hope for economic recovery. The real challenge is not a faddish dance or a quirky recipe.

Martin Williams, DA councillor and former editor of The Citizen.

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