Media and marketing Clive Simpkins
THE marketing of our new dispensation is not and should not be to the overseas investment community only. There’s dignity-marketing too. Like many of the people I speak to, I am desperate that we project a mature, rational and dignified national image and example to countries both in Africa and overseas. A crucial aspect in image projection, and hence our marketing of ourselves, is the professionalism, however Afrocentric, with which speeches, issues and events are handled. Two aspects of late have struck me as discordant notes and important enough to nip in the bud.
The first item is the extremely messy handling of the indemnity issue. Our president has a wonderdul gravitas and dignity and it’s a real tragedy when justified fury at a resurgence of Natpstyle cover-ups riles him to irascible comment. In transactional analysis terms there is parent, adult and child in the communicating mix. Madiba has a penchant for going into lecturing “critical parent” under pressure. Even if age entitles him to it, it’s not good for our image.
More disturbing still, given his many years of political inoculation and experience at handling such issues, is F W de Klerk’s threatening and, in transactional analysis terms, “adaptive child” behaviour and response to any, even justified, wrist-slapping from the president.
His cliched sabre-rattling on withdrawing from the government of national unity is hopefully at an end. He should not forget that he is a statesman of note first and foremost, and panderer to his constituents second. The eyes of the international community undoubtedly watch with interest the interaction and behaviour of these two icons in our history.
Accordingly, it’s imperative to ignore the temptation to rhetoric at rallies and national conventions and leave an unambiguous chapter for the history books which reads that all was conducted with sublime maturity and dignity.
The second image and dignity-marketing issue is the obvious need to avoid a repeat of the fracas at Joe Slovo’s funeral. A la Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC, we need at least one well-located heroes’ acre in South Africa. Helen Joseph and Slovo both wished to be buried close to the people, but the chaotic scenes which must have been seen by overseas viewers were redolent of a banana republic.
An article in this newspaper last week described the funeral as being neither a state funeral nor one of the people. Bang on, and all the more reason why we need, in the words of my good friend Adelaide Tambo, “a dignified, special place” for the funerals of such state or folk heroes and heroines in the future.
It’s time to find and designate an aesthetically beautiful, well-located piece of ground as the future resting place of the special people of our rainbow nation. A place where someday their loved ones, tourists, admirers, students of history and the simply curious, wishing to see the resting place of the miracle-workers, can go in safety and peace.