It's an election year in South Africa, and so there would seem no better time than now to spoof our country's most well-known brands — be they politicians, parastatals, or products. No one is spared the rod that is Laugh it Off's brand-spanking satire in 13 cheeky brand spoof ‘photographic subverts' all wrapped up and presented in a 2010 calendar that will have South Africans laughing out loud, and the lawyers grumbling quietly.
From president Jacob Zuma and his juvenile sidekick Julius Malema, to government-owned companies such as Telkom and SAA — not to mention booze, cellphone, and fast food companies — Laugh it Off will no doubt be testing the humour and tolerance of the targets they poke fun at in their ‘Corpowit Calendar'.
All 13 full-colour photographs were taken by photographic legend Obie Oberholzer, who Laugh it Off had to coerce out of semi-retirement to tickle some South African funny bones and cause some more kak. Oberholzer last worked with Laugh it Off in 2004 during the height of their court battles with SABMiller. The publication that came about as a result of their efforts — the 2005 Laugh it Off Chronicles Calendar — was ruthlessly interdicted by SABMiller after it had gone to print, meaning that the final product never saw the light of day.
Laugh it Off felt that it was ‘…high time to challenge the corporate kowtowing that is jeopardizing the Rainbow Nation. Citizens have gone from being force-fed an apartheid agenda to one of corporate subservience. It is fundamental to our democracy's livelihood that we face up to the powers that be… even if that only means laughing in their face ', says Laugh it Off's founder Justin Nurse.
When Obie Oberholzer was asked as to why he was involved, he said that it was ‘just another job' for him as a photographer, except the pay was lousy and the risks were high.
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