Lego and the unbearable lightness of superficial kak
We associate Lego with fun and childhood memories- actually adult too. Sitting and building something from scratch is perfection at any age. We have all seen through the years how Lego keeps up with trends by introducing various concepts and themes. I would stand and stare in toy shops at the star wars themed sets or the DC comics ones they do so with perfection. And then they released a Bo-Kaap version to be voted for to be produced. It is on display at the Canal Walk store. Tremendous and amazing you say? It does not come close. It is not surprising when big corporations co-opt culture. But to insult it even further with no accuracy leaves a bitter pill I will never swallow.
Lego prides itself on its “family” and the longevity thereof. This means they want to protect their legacy within the familiarity of blood ties. They are very much aware of what preservation looks and feels like. When you look at the attention to detail they design their architecture sets with, it is safe to say they employ the capacity for research and conceptualisation. Now this is not some politicised attempt to create discord. But for far too long it is in these seemingly small things we let slide, that adds to the increasing cosmos of colonial expatriation. They may not set sail on fleets to colonise anymore, but they do so with the erasure of cultures and history. They re-write, co-opt, re-imagine and always expect diplomacy and applause for their basic and bare minimum outputs. Lego should have employed more interrogation here when opting to have this as part of a voting contest. It is sadly lacking but I am not surprised. It really just amplifies the lack of tact, care and consideration when handling fragile discourses- not even properly unpacked by ourselves.
There was budget to employ consultants when designing the piece. Does anyone in the Bo-Kaap profit from this set? Was there any awareness when not too long ago the residents of Bo-Kaap protested against gentrification? For it all to come to a comedic denounement of a plastic set of blocks depicting the area with no inkling of what it represents and its place in South Africa’s history. The set is described as “It is not only one of the most photographed places in South Africa but it also boasts a rich history and culture”; and not one cultural sign in sight. Now the argument could be , its just a toy- its not. It reinforces the idea that as long as money is thrown in a project culturally significant spaces can be presented by corporations as they see fit. YOU CANNOT DIVORCE SOUTH AFRICA FROM IT’S VERY FABRIC. We are political, fractured, built on lies and colonial discourse; so don’t try to explain away our enclaves that are shrouded in slave history and the attempts of erasure.
There was a very telling and rabid response to valid critique of the Lego set. The audacity to call it racialising and talking about “dont we have bigger fish to fry”. Sweetie it is in not frying the smaller fish that the bigger ones swallow us whole. The area is sacred- it is the slave quarters of Cape Town. It bore witness to our indigenous ancestry having their teeth knocked out so they could not do the clicks of the Khoi language. Slavery was not only about unpaid labour, it was a sanctioned, legal process to pull apart the custodians of South Africa. It was to eliminate the culture, the language and the personhood of the people they found here and kidnapped to bring here to enrich themselves. You would do better to sit in the stillness of your views and reflect and take a breather before you tell any Brown or Black person how to react to the desecration of their Abogan (ancestors). You are culture-less as you say, so stay out of “other” peoples, who have been othered to this present day.
The lack of critical thought and deference for big corporations is clear. But the gist of it is, if you are not offended by it you have no respect for illustrations and portrayals of a fragmented society. We have so much inter-generational trauma, an apathetic past and present government and worse- the unwillingness of people who have only ever benefited from colonisation, apartheid and the current system to actually unlearn, re-learn or better yet; keep their bek.
No thank you Lego. Your art in itself can be traced back to the African art of sculpture and design. Slapping together a few bricks and calling it a celebration of a culture is uninformed, superficial, basic, tragic and insulting.
We hear the artist is disappointed to hear reactions to it. Good, sit in the discomfort for as long as its needed. Within this uncomfortability maybe their can be some actual reflection. Know your place.
A reminder also, a few people co-signing this is not needed. Go ahead and design anything you want. Re-imagine all you want. But be aware it is kak. It truly is . It is KAKPUSA (amnesia),and just another cog in the machine of your erasure.
Hou it.
ps. kanala tog we didn’t need to see you can use the word tietie and boeta- FYI you will be amazed to see where these words stem from. But I am tired, we cant keep asking people/teaching people when they have access and capacity to learn instead of posting platitudes for us to lap up. SALOLAS.