Sax Appeal cracks whip over oppressor

04 February 2016 - 02:45 By Jerome Cornelius

The sex might have gone from Sax Appeal, but this year's UCT Remember and Give week magazine still aims to leave readers smiling.The cover of last year's edition caused a furore by featuring a picture of a white man holding a whip - in the character of Fifty Shades of Grey's Christian Grey - looking over an informal settlement.This year's magazine, on sale for R30 next Thursday, swings the other way. "The oppressed were satirised before. Now we're satirising the oppressor," said editor Nicole Dunn."It will focus on racism, classism, white privilege, but will also have satirical articles. I just think we have to be careful how we use humour."Proceeds from the sale of the magazine go to Students Health and Welfare Centres Organisation. Dunn said she hoped the reinvention of Sax Appeal would not hit sales.Former editor Alexandra Nagel said the more serious tone was "necessary because we come from a society where 'rape' and 'racist' are just a couple of terms thrown around in a humorous way".Contributor Sisonke Msimang said last year's student uprisings signalled the need for a change."Given what happened last year at UCT there's a real opportunity for this publication to reflect a new consciousness. I hope it succeeds," she said.Cartoonist Jonathan "Zapiro" Shapiro said while he was looking forward to the new Sax Appeal, because "some of the racist, sexist stuff" had irritated him, he was "a little wary, because it sounds like the irreverence of Sax Appeal may be a bit blunted. In the past there was always a mix of sharp stuff and very juvenile bigoted stuff."..

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