Saturday, December 7, 2013

Post Square 12.07.13 ~ Mandela’s Unfulfilled Legacy

Post Square 12.07.13 ~ Mandela’s Unfulfilled Legacy

The cover photo on the Post today was taken in Johannesburg, where a group of people marched to honor former South African president Nelson Mandela. In the front of the crowd a small, towheaded boy reaches for the hand of an older black woman identified as his nanny.

I chose as my detail a small section of a wall in the background. I picked my colors randomly, but all at once and decided where to put them instead of leaving that to chance. I’m pleased that, as it turned out, I was able to illustrate a strong contrast using the bright compliments of yellow and purple because it’s appropriate to the story.

Nelson Mandela envisioned a South Africa that thrived on equality, with a political system that deserved the respect of the rest of the world. During his presidency enormous strides were made toward these goals, but the present day South Africa is still a nation with devastating poverty which accentuates the racial divide and a corrupt government.

White South Africans, on average, make six times that of their black counterparts.

The current president, Jacob Zuma, has been accused of spending close to twenty million dollars of state funds to renovate his luxurious private home.

Fourteen-year-old student, Thandeke Belle, states in the article, “If you are a normal person with no connections, you will be nothing in today’s South Africa.”

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