Digital Dissenter

The last couple of weeks have provided some particularly good political entertainment with Andre Visagie of the AWB and Julius Malema on top form.

“Don’t touch me on my studio” has become a new catch phrase, with various remixes of the original encounter in the eTV studio appearing on various platforms. Malema’s outburst at an ANCYL conference at a BBC journalist has also inadvertently given the online community some excellent content for repurposing. I often find myself watching these types of clips (and having a good laugh) but rarely do I find something so catchy that it finds its way into my current playlist – and stays there for over a week.


The remix track of Malema’s infamous ‘bastard agent’ outburst titled “Revolutionary House”, has appeared online and is seeping into South African popular culture at a rapid rate. Even while I write this my foot is tapping along to Juju shouting: “This is a revolutionary house! Don’t laugh!”

While the creator of this clever piece of music has remained anonymous (who would want Malema on their case?), I sincerely doubt that the intention behind producing this track was to promote Malema's views. Quite the contrary.

The repurposing of political content for popular purposes could in fact be one of the most effective forms of digital activism available. How better to reach the masses than to create outputs that can fit into their preferences and appeal to their sense of humour?

While some may think that having people singing along to lyrics such as “bastard agent” is not fitting in a society so hung up on political correctness, I think it’s a great tool for sparking debate amongst people who would otherwise never be exposed to political current affairs.

While it may not be an overt form of digital activism, the subversion of certain media content provides a critique of the current situation without needing to write a thesis. People can take it, laugh at it, comment on it, share it with friends and even dance to it in clubs. It is in so doing that people become aware – and awareness is paramount in a society of growing social and political apathy.