Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has strongly condemned the naked dancing of teenage school girls on stage in the Eastern Cape leg of the ABC Motsepe SASCE, that took place this week.
“There is no need for learners to go on stage completely naked and exposed in the manner we have seen circulating on social media,” the Minister said on Wednesday.
There have been some commentators who have said that this is part of the young womens’ culture, however, Motshekga disputes this argument, saying that even taking that into account, there is no need to expose these teenage girls in such a fashion in a school competition environment.
This is even more upsetting considering the increased sexual objectification of women and girls for the entertainment of men, especially that the video is being shared widely on social media where these young girls may be exposed to all manner of humiliation at the hands of tactless social media users.
“It is extremely disappointing to see that our educators have exposed young girls to this type of public displays of nudity. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being proud of your culture and heritage, but there was absolutely no need for these children to perform completely naked. That indignity goes against the values of our cultures,” Motshekga said.
The Minister went on to apologize to the sponsors, ABC Motsepe Foundation for the embarrassment and negativity caused to its brand.
She has called for an investigation to take place and for the educators responsible to face disciplinary action and has urged the public to refrain from further circulating this video as it will cause further damage to the girls involved.
“As a sector, we cannot afford to tarnish the reputation of such an important initiative in the name of culture. Over the years this competition has unveiled a number of award-winning artists whose talent was discovered in this competition, without having to resort to such extreme measures as we have seen in this Eastern Cape incident.” – SAnews.gov.za
