Flesh wounds

Flesh wounds

Tattooing, expression or paganism?
Written by: Thandazile Precious Ngiba



Lindokuhle Nala, with musical notes on neck.     

 Picture by: Thandazile Precios Ngiba

There are many versions regarding the history of tattoos, but one thing they all have in common is the meaning of tattoos in representing symbolism of different forms.

The word tattoo originates from the Tahitian word "tattau" which means "to mark." Tahitians used tattoos as rites of passage which told the story and history of the person's life, from showing the clan association, in medical procedures to rank and ritual, all tattoos have a symbolic purpose. Tattoos may have moved away from being used for these reasons, they still have personal and often deeper meanings as individual as those who wear them. Tattoos are created by injecting ink through into the skin. Tattoo artists accomplish this by using an electric powered tattoo gun that almost sounds like the drill a dentist uses. The tattoo gun has a needle that moves up and down, putting the ink into the skin around 2,000 times a minute. The needle in the gun punctures the skin and deposits a small drop of ink with each puncture.

Perception

Mitchell Harper a former Journalism student at the Durban University of Technology says he got his tattoos done because he was fascinated about body art and felt what better way than to experience it personally, “I started with one on my thigh and before I knew it I was getting another one on my foot” he went on to say that people have a tendency of looking at him funny when they see his tattoos but his grown to get used to it. Though hey have grown in popularity and are more acceptable than in years gone by, in today’s society there are still a lot of people who tend to misjudge tattoos. When someone is seen with a lot of tattoos some people automatically think negative thoughts and there has been a common tendency to associate them with the likes of criminals. Forgetting that those who have tattoos are just like anyone else – except that they may wish to stand out and strongly express a sense of who they are through their tattoos. There has been much debate around the immorality of tattoos and other forms of body art one thing that all bible based religions agree upon is that marking your body with tattoos is wrong. Jews, Catholics and Fundamentalist Christians all agree on this. It’s interesting to look at the viewpoints and beliefs of these religious groups and what each one bases their opinions upon. Catholics tend to believe that the New Testament and Old Testament are to be held on equal footing. Catholic negativity towards tattoos has been covered in scriptures such as Leviticus 19:28, which states "You shall not make any tattoo marks on yourselves, or make any cuts on one’s body" To most Catholics however, marking yourself with tattoos is still thought of as a personal choice open for personal interpretation. Many modern day Catholics feel that indeed tattoos are wrong by the Bibles standards but marking oneself with tattoos is not considered sinful. Then in general Fundamentalist Christians have a belief that one should not get tattoos because they are a "pagan practice", is reason enough not to use tattoos. While there is nothing stated in the Bible that Christians should not mark themselves with tattoos. Citing the use of tattoos as something done by pagans has been the main objection of Fundamentalist Christians and with the Jewish faith, marking one’s body with tattoos has been thought to be such a desecration of the body that often times a person with tattoos could be denied burial in a Jewish cemetery.  This goes to show that in everything society will always have different views about life be it tattooing, piercing or music and that’s just the way life is.When I wanted to get a tattoo of my sons name a friend of mine, Paola Nzadi said; “Would you put a sticker on your Bentley?”, on the other hand my mother said my body is God’s temple and I should respect it.

I went on to find out that acceptance of tattoos differs amongst the different races and age groups, Derick Bell (24) a architectural technologist at Architronic architects and urban designers says in his community (colored ) they think is cool and a trend to get a tattoo  and the bigger it is the better. Commonly black people showed resentment and misunderstanding in the need for tattoos, a black taxi driver (36) asked about his views on tattoos said; “Hayi amatattoo awabantu abathanda izinto nje, futhi umaintombazane ifake itattoo uzoganwa ubani?”- Tattoos are for gullible people, and when a girl has a tattoo who will marry her?”  You only have to watch films such as Cape Fear with Robert de Niro to see how these stereotypes arise. Yet contrary to this opinion that many may have, those who have tattoos aren’t all mal-adjusted characters. Instead, they are simply those who are expressing their freedom. Whether they are going by what they believe, showing that they belong to a certain group or clan, or paying homage to the dearly departed – there are always meanings behind tattoos.

 Lindokuhle Nala    

·         “U say da body is a mere vessel n wen i die only da spirit/soul will move on, bt in da same breath tell me i won't make it into heaven coz i got tattoos (ngabe elakini lelo zulu) Awuhlanganise istory sakho b4 uzong'dakelwa la-, while u at it learn 2 mind yo own God damn bzns.”

Like · comment · Share September 25 at 6:49pm via mobile

This status update by a facebook friend regarding tattoos- translated means “ You say the body is a mere vessel and when I die only the spirit/soul will move on, but in the same breath you tell me I won’t go to heaven because I have tattoos  (Heaven would be yours. Get your story together before you insult me. While you at it learn to mind your own business)”Top of Form

Poll questions conducted in Stanger, Kwa-Zulu Natal different genders, races and age groups 1o people participated.

1 Do you think having tattoos is a sin?

·         Yes -4 people

·         No- 6 people

·         I don’t Know-0

2 Would you allow your child to get a tattoo?

·         Yes- 3

·         No -6

·         I don’t care-1

3 Would you hire a person with a tattoo?

·         Yes- 4

·         No-6

Let’s Go Green!

The Durban University of technology’s Journalism Programme held a community engagement day, themed “Green climate” on Wednesday 25 May 2011 at their Arthur Smith hall. Amongst the guest speakers were Miss Gabriella Sofia Peppas manger of the “Green hub” an eco-tourism information centre in the uMngeni area next to the uMngeni River which was built in preparation for the FIFA 2010 soccer world cup which was held in Durban. This “Green Hub” provides a base for visitors and residents learning more about Durban’s outdoor attractions and to book nature based activities and accommodation around Durban and KwaZulu-Natal. The aim is to encourage the residents of Durban to explore the municipality’s biodiversity and building an appreciation for the need to conserve and protect this diversity of life. Peppas spoke about the range of changes and positive contributions the green Hub has had on Durban and the community at large, explaining the activities that are available and the goals of the Project, she made examples such as their youth canoeing training and other outdoor programs that are available for underprivileged children. It is with such programmes that people are made aware of the beauty of nature and thus motivating the need to preserve it.

Whilst on the topic of preservation and appreciation speaking on behalf of the Kwa Zulu Natal subsistence fishers’ forum was Desmond D’sa from the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDECA)who went on to speak about how subsistence fishing in Durban is prevailing, mentioning its pros and cons.  D’sa said that; “To tell subsistence fishers to stop fishing would be like telling them to go die, since fishing is how they are able to survive and provide for their families”. He mentioned that though we need the environment to survive we must look after it so that it looks after us back, over fishing should never be an option and mentioned how surfers and fishers should work together at making sure that the sea life is preserved and respected. To finish it off was Imagine Durban’s- Amanda Botes who spoke about how the municipality in the future sees Durban an eco-friendly city that is well looked after by its residence, she spoke of little things going a long way like making sure we don’t Litter, Always put our waste in a bin and help  recycle our waste.

Durban is primarily an African City, rich with contrasts and honoured traditions. Subtropical beaches and vast undeveloped landscapes provide the environment for great urban development with more traditional rural lifestyles. Because of such diversity, Durban embodies challenges faced by most cities in the global south.  The city has been positioned as a global leader in the field of climate protection planning and recognised as the ‘Climate Capital’ of South Africa, due to its bold response to the challenges of climate change and variability.

South Africa is due to host this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference. The 17th conference of Parties on climate change scheduled to be held at Durban from 28 November to 9 December 2011. A decision to set up the Technology Mechanism to aid the technology transfer from developed to developing countries was taken at the Cancun-Mexico- summit. The large set up of the Technology Executive Committee and the Climate Technology Centre & Network are likely to be finalised before the Durban summit. The European Union, which is also the leader in low-carbon technologies, still calls for advanced improvement measures by other developed countries like the United States of America and Australia, including advanced developing countries like China, Brazil and India. The United States has openly stated its reservations to an international agreement that does not include legally binding objectives for the developing countries. While the developing countries argue that developed countries have past responsibility to reduce their carbon emissions and any binding targets would badly impact their own economic growth. We can only but hope that with such conferences there is a change that takes place and it is one that unites all countries developed or not to work together at an eco friendly universe.

The mark on the Thumb…

The hype surrounding South Africa’s democratic elections only just got higher, with just two days before the Municipal elections to take place on the 18 May 2011, there is so much to find out from the public. Thandeka Mchunu 3^rd year Journalism student at the Durban University of Technology was excited and just couldn’t wait. “I know it seems like its just voting and not so big a deal but it’s during this time that I am reminded of how liberated I am as opposed to the past during the apartheid regime.  Maybe we are taking our freedom for granted and forget how far we have come to say we are liberated. For south Africans voting has almost become a routine that needs to be done but very few of them believe it makes any difference." Considering the controversial issues that surround our politicians it may not be so hard to believe why they feel that way. "The reason I vote is in hope of getting improved service delivery within my community, hoping it’s for the right candidate. Also because I cannot complain if I do not make a vote, so my vote is my voice. I have noticed that the South African youth have very little to no interest in our country’s politics for them its as if life is just a matter of waking up and doing what you have to. “If you take a close look at the African National Congress's Youth league president Julius Malema, can you expect the youth to be any more serious about it, Julius for me is a joke and always knows when to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, not setting a good impression on youth who actually love politics. Maybe there is hope though if by seeing the mediocrity he causes politics' lovers should be encouraged to do something and maybe one day save the ANCYL from dying." But do we realise that there are still countries that are fighting for their liberation and we have the privilege of choice, yet we bicker about issues that can be resolved easily and don't focus on serious matters that impact our country at large. I guess we can only wait and see if the African National Congress (ANC) will fulfill their promises and it is not just another empty promise situation.

Twitter and journalism...

With the world moving into a technological phase can journalism survive?  For instance twitter is a social networking site that connects ordinary and prominent people at just the click of a button where in the past it was almost impossible keeping up with our celebrities without our journalists or media but all that has changed. Today an “ordinary” person can tweet about something that will in minutes turn out to be a news story. But will this hurt or assist journalists. Well with everything or rather most things in life there are always pros and cons and the same goes with twitter, twitter can propagate some issues and maybe phase out others and even stir up sensationalism. As a  journalism student twitter makes life easy and the accessing of news and gossip quick which means I do not have to be in front of a TV or reading the paper to know what is going on in the world anymore. Twitter can be accessed on your cell phone (if browser enabled) which means everywhere, anytime you can get what’s what. It’s a great way of sourcing information and expressing ones view openly without having to be correct but can also be of great danger when people tend to rely more on twitter than what media has to say. Though it’s great for sourcing it’s as good as Wikipedia-unreliable.

Media invading prominent peoples lives- fedback

Well this is my first post on this blog, and my first blog. Creating it wasn’t difficult but I just haven’t familirised myself with it. I hope with time I will be an expect blogger… or maybe not.

Well getting down to business firstly when my partner and I chose our topic for the New media package piece, we didn’t really think it would be difficult and we thought it was interesting, but didn’t realize that writing it wouldn’t be a s easy and we learnt that the hard way and it was a little too late. But I guess they say better late than never right? So putting together the piece was challenging because I had so much information and didn’t structure it correctly the vision was there but I just failed to put it on paper.  I failed to not sound subjective and over opinionated in my piece and it just turned out to be an opinion piece, well it least I think it made a good opinion piece. To add on to my stress I didn’t have a picture that went with it, well getting a picture of a celebrity isn’t all so easy when you not a socialite anymore. But it goes to show that planning goes a long way in creating a piece that is reader worthy and interesting.