Many people would concur that images are powerful symbols that leave indelible imprints on the minds of people. This fact is especially true during this era of television. Media moguls use television and other media outlets for sinister motives such as propaganda.
Television is also used to convey subliminal messages for ideas they want their audiences to imbibe and regurgitate. Those who have studied secret societies can tell by observing members’ hand signs, symbols and insignia that they belong to those secret societies.
The thesis that says images send powerful messages is therefore not idle talk. Where am I going with this? I grew up during apartheid when there was no television and don’t remember seeing photos of Robert Sobukwe anywhere.
I went into exile in the mid-1970s and came back in the mid-1990s and I don’t remember seeing images of Sobukwe on SABC television even once. Only his year, about three times, The Sunday Independent posted a big photograph of a smiling Sobukwe.
Considering that the paper is a weekly publication, it means the newspaper has published Sobukwe’s photos every month since the beginning of this year. In 24 years’ time, SABC television has not shown - even fleetingly - a single picture of Sobukwe. The truism “out of sight out of mind” holds water.
On the 38th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, SABC’s Channel 404 flashed the picture of Nelson Mandela more than a 100 times, accompanied by inappropriate March 21, 1960 images. The Channel 404 advertisement says those images are a celebration of Mandela’s centenary.
To most people, that is like fitting a square pack in a round hole. What does Mandela’s centenary have to do with the Struggle for our liberation? What does his centenary have to do with the March 21, 1960 events that culminated in the temporary suspension of passes and the crippling of South Africa’s economy, which was boosted by US companies and banks such as Chase Manhattan? What is its significance?
Mandela and his centenary have nothing to do with Sobukwe’s and the PAC’s Positive Action campaign that led to events that took place in Sharpeville and Langa in March 1960. It makes perfect sense - but not to the SABC apparatchiks - that Channel 404 advertisement alluded to should be accompanied by Sobukwe’s picture to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his death.
Last year, the SABC and ANC used the 37th anniversary of Sharpeville Day to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Steve Biko.
Does it not make sense, therefore, that this year’s Sharpeville Day should have been used by the SABC to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Sobukwe’s death because this day is directly attributable to him and the PAC?
In fact, the SABC television should dedicate the entire year to commemorating the 40th anniversary of Sobukwe’s death and to finding out where his audio and visual recordings are, instead of being part of those who concealed them.
The apartheid government, supported by the capitalist West and socialist East, had their reasons for proscribing Sobukwe’s PAC and removing everything about him out of circulation and of earshot, hoping that everybody will forget about him.
Why is SABC television refusing to show pictures of Sobukwe? This also applies to eNCA, irrespective of being privately owned.
The eNCA television recurrently shows pictures of ANC, DA and EFF politicians and their logos, but never shows pictures of PAC leaders and the organisation’s beautiful logo of the map of Africa that bears a star shining from Ghana (the first independent country in Africa).
This a sign of a subliminal message drilling in the minds of the uninitiated which parties to vote for during the elections, of which the SABC is also guilty. However, my concern is with the SABC because it is a public broadcaster.
The constant bombardment of audiences with Mandela’s pictures is another subliminal message of rubbing it in viewers the logical fallacy that he is the only important historical figure who fought for this country’s liberation, and that his organisation is the only one that fought for it.
This constant bombardment of audiences with Mandela’s picture to the exclusion of Sobukwe’s pictures betrays the identity of those who call the shots at the SABC.
Less than a week ago, I described the SABC apparatchiks and board as scoundrels in some of the daily publications and it emerged in media reports on Sharpeville Day that some SABC board members were embroiled in irregular tender deals involving security companies Mafoko and Mjayeli.
These could be the shady characters who decide what is good for the public.
By not showing Sobukwe’s pictures and the PAC logo, the SABC apparatchiks and board are trying to expunge Sobukwe’s memory from the collective consciousness of the African people. This move has nefarious intentions and negative connotations similar to those of the racist members of the apartheid government who may be pulling the strings behind the scenes.
The SABC and ANC use propaganda methods that resemble those of the Nazis. Almost every facet of South African life is dictated by propaganda.
The most successful sphere of influence of the SABC and ANC is in the promotion of anti-Sobukwe and anti-PAC sentiments among the South African people.
The SABC and ANC are successful in creating such an effective propaganda that some people are moved to hating the PAC and Sobukwe. The actions of the SABC and ANC might therefore constitute hate speech.
Propaganda is comprised of messages that people want to hear, lies that are so outlandish and extreme that a new reality is created. Another important propaganda concept is repetition.
The more an issue or idea is repeated the more likely that it may become a new reality.
Propaganda is effective when it creates subconscious actions in order to effect transformation and co-ordination of society. This explains the reason most South Africans vote for the governing party. Therefore, the actions of the SABC are not motivated by indifference or any other consideration, other than to keep the ANC in power.
The SABC ignored the 40th anniversary of Sobukwe’s death on February 27 and during the month.
The ANC is a rival of the PAC and it is preposterous for the SABC as a public broadcaster to take its cue from the governing party on how to cover Sobukwe’s contribution to the Struggle. The SABC is expected to be impartial.
* Ditshego is an independent researcher.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.