user: Input: 'The Spear' causes controversy in South Africa
A defaced painting by artist Brett Murray hangs in the Goodman Gallery [Reuters]

A painting of South African President Jacob Zuma exposing his genitals has been all over the news here lately.

It has kicked up a furore over the artist's right to freedom of expression which in this case conflicts with many Africans' belief that as president, Zuma deserves the respect due people in powerful positions.

The art work was smeared with red and black paint by two people on Tuesday after days of increasingly angry rhetoric from Zuma's African National Congress, its political allies and Zuma's own family.

The Goodman Gallery's been "astonished" by the response but has refused to take it down.

Firstly it has to be said that it is likely the painting's offending (or not) brushstrokes would have gone entirely unnoticed by the general public if the ruling ANC hadn't drawn it to everyone's attention with a news release, thus guaranteeing it was front page news and on every local news programme the very next day.

So it is going to be hugely embarrassing if, when the ANC takes the Goodman Gallery to court to try and get it removed, the ANC loses.Over the weekend the Sunday Times contrasted the reaction in South Africa to reaction in Canada of another painting, this one depicting Prime Minister Stephen Harper, reclining nude, with a dog at his feet. Harper's spokespeople have handled the exposure with a joke via twitter saying: "We're not impressed. Everyone knows the PM is a cat person."While I think the comparison is valuable, that's only because it provides such a contrast, as it underlines the difference between a fully Western-orientated democracy and a democracy under construction. While on the one hand the vast majority of Western-minded (and therefore more likely white) opinion is that the artist's right to freedom of expression trumps everything else, the truth is lots of South Africans are offended by it on the basis of a simple difference in culture - one in which many blacks feel that Zuma should be immune to such satirical depiction.That regardless of what anyone thinks of his polygamy, policies, past allegations of corruption and rape - when it comes to what is inside his pant, it's none of our business.
What was this article about?
++++++++++
It's about: A painting of South African President Jacob Zuma exposing his genitals has been all over the news here lately.It has kicked up a furore over the artist's right to freedom of expression which in this case conflicts with many Africans' belief that as president, Zuma deserves the respect due people in powerful positions.The art work was smeared with red and black paint by two people on Tuesday after days of increasingly angry rhetoric from Zuma's African National Congress, its political allies and Zuma's own family.The Goodman Gallery's been "astonished" by the response but has refused to take it down.


Input: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Takes $74 Million at Weekend Box Office
Americans can’t get enough of those damn dirty apes. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes took the number-one spot at box offices this weekend, debuting with a $74 million domestic gross.

The sequel’s performance surpasses both expectations for a $60 million opening and the opening-weekend gross of 2011′s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which took home $54.8 million, Variety reports.

“It’s one of those rare times when critics and audiences agree and the confluence created a perfect storm for a phenomenal opening,” Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution at 20th Century Fox, told Variety.

Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, which was shot over the course of 12 years and earned rave reviews, earned $359,000 from a limited release with only a handful of screening locations across New York and Los Angeles. That’s not a lot compared to the Apes‘ multi-millions, but its per-screen average of $71,800 is the second-highest of the year after The Grand Budapest Hotel and the highest in Linklater’s career. The movie will expand to more theaters this weekend.

“We want to keep it slow and not go out on 800 screens in week two or three,” Jonathan Sehring, president of IFC Films, said. “The awareness is high, the media attention has been tremendous, and the word of mouth in the Twitter-sphere and social media universe is outstanding, so we’re going to continue to build on this.”

Transformers: Age of Extinction meanwhile took second place, crossing the $200 million mark domestically and continuing to perform well overseas, while Tammy, starring Melissa McCarthy, fell to third place. Both films received largely negative reviews.
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It's about:

assistant: <i>Apes</i> is a blockbuster with intelligence, critics say