Recalling Zuma

THE FOUR MEMORABLE ICONS depicted in each of the thought bubbles above have been used in various ways by cartoonists to represent Jacob Zuma and his legacy in the making. And there have been others; such as a condom (worn on the wrong head!), a machine gun (symbolising his call to arms 'Umshini Wami'), his double-domed head, and variations on his leopard skin traditional dress code. But perhaps the most literal of all these is the one depicted in the last of the bubbles by Chip: the Presidential Middle Finger Salute.

President Zuma's 'Up Yours' gesture is not simply an example of artistic licence taken by cartoonists to suggest Zuma's contempt for the citizenry of South Africa, but a case of art imitating life (as evidenced by the photographs below). That the President's habit of readjusting his spectacles with his middle finger also works as a metaphor for many of his actions is simply a 'bonsela' for South African cartoonists!  

Incidentally, a quick Google search will show that President Zuma isn't the only president with an expressive middle finger!