I would like to start this response by expressing a little problem that I had with the writing at the beginning of the article on Zuma… why is it that we always make the assumption that Jesus was white? I understand that the author of the article wanted to place a focus on how resistance leader Jacob Zuma has become known as a hero to South African people, but I found it really interesting that Zuma being called a “black Jesus” in the scene with the woman with the sign carried throughout the article as a prevalent theme that seemed to fascinate the author especially in relation to how the politics of race seems to play out in South Africa.
I also found it interesting how the author of the story compared Zuma to Nelson Mandela in many respects including his party affiliations, education background and personal life. Mandela has always been universally known as a world-wide hero, and while the article tries to show a glimpse into Zuma’s rise to power, as a reader I definitely found that Zuma wasn’t as admirable as Mandela, even when the author tried to depict him as personable. It is always interesting to see how what others write about public figures fashion how we see them. Martin Luther King Jr. was a heavy smoker and cheated on his wife for years, but we all still know him for his unwavering courage as a leader in the civil rights movement.
Although I don’t know much about the political strife happening in South Africa I thought this article was really informative on current events overall, and I really liked how Foster weaved in personal stories from Zuma's life (like his wife's miscarrage for example) with his quest to be president.
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