FPB: “We feel that it really is our duty to classify that portrait.”

As the dust begins to settle around the “Zuma Spear” issue (the ANC has agreed to drop the case against the Goodman gallery, and the gallery agreed to take the painting off its website “at some point”), the one issue that remains prominent is the Film and Publications Board’s classification of the now defaced “Spear Of The Nation” which was deliberated at a meeting yesterday, and is set to be announced on Friday.

You might think that the issue of classifying the painting is now moot, given it got a high profile working over by those two vandals, which has basically scrubbed the offending Presidential umthondo from the canvas altogether, but apparently not, Murray’s painting (pre-vandalism, and post-) has been transmitted to the four corners of the world, and given the FPB’s scope of influence (small) that seems to be the main push behind their post facto attempts to bring the censor’s stamp down upon it.

From the side of the FPB, the intention seems to be to classify the painting on Friday, despite the events that have transfigured it. “Galleries are not areas prohibited from children,” said board chief operations officer Mmapula Fisha, who was chairing the meeting yesterday. “We feel that it really is our duty to classify that portrait.”

The FPB had to concede that it was not within its ambit to classify any content published or broadcast by media outlets, but contested that it had the right to classify the display of art, and content of local websites. It may have the right, but does it have the capacity to police the internet, and displays in private spaces like galleries? Likely not. On the issue of publication of the image in the print media, it rightly referred the issue to the Press Ombudsman.

A more worrying statement came from the FPB’s legal manager, Sipho Risiba, who said, “If we say the committee should allow these views to stand, what message are we sending to the entire population? Are we then not opening the floodgates to allow criticism of our political leaders?”

Wait. Are we not allowed to criticise our political leaders? Were those “floodgates” not cast open in 1994?

The representation for the Goodman Gallery attempted to explain the political analogy of the penis, distinct from the “personal insult” interpretation which is the main response from the ANC thus far. At least one of complainants in the matter is asking for “R18” classification from the FPB because the image is “harmful psychologically”.

There were also concerns about the FPB’s response to the complaints and preparation for the meeting that occurred yesterday- first it would not name the classification board, and then yesterday presented the five classifiers, saying the classification process “was already underway”. Initially, it announced it was responding on one complaint received, but yesterday pulled another complaint out before the meeting, with no prior warning to the Goodman Gallery representation.

The FPB has referred the issue regarding the publication of the image in the City Press to the Press Ombudsman, and will render its decision on the classication of “Spear Of The Nation” (Version 1.5) on Friday.

[Source: Mail & Guardian, News 24, News 24]