Old you watch "Shaka Zulu
on TV a few weeks back? Were
you caught up In the excitement
of a black warrior king finally
being recognized as part of folk
lore? Did your heart swell with
warm feeling toward WCCB-TV
18 and Pepsi for sponsoring the
show?
On the fhce of it. the whole
thing looked like a community
••rvlee. Finally, black heroes
are being recognized, right?
Well, let's take another look at
this fine community service.
What we have here is a purely
business decision thinly masked
as a public service. November la
a big ratings month in television.
WCCB-TV and Pepsi were look
ing primarily to pull big numbers
of viewers-who would, hopeful
ly. drink a lot of Pepsi.
Sure, the TV station promoted
the show as -educations]---even
dishing out "study guides" like
PBS sometimes does. But what
we have here la juat another
| -cowboya-and lndlana" fllck
with the African blacks playing
the Indians.
vHi»t of all. Shako's Use to pow
sr and treatment of hla fellow
blacks was no worse than the
way King Henry VIII of England
treated his fellows. Or the count
less butcheries under Russian
Ctars. And how about America?
We have burned witches at the
•»*ke, enalaved and lynched
blacks, murderedV Indiana,
worked Chinese coolies to
death—every "civilization" has
the same horror story.
L .
The worse thing about "Shaka
Zulu" as TV, though, is all the
same old stereotypes. Here's
Shaka. coming to power by ape
like cunning. Of course, his dad
gets his mom pregnant but wont
be responsible. She goes to live
in the "ghetto"—raising her child
akme. Shaka becomes a sociop
ath because of this upbringing.
You expett to aee a white-lady .
social worker materialize to help j
them at least get some food jj
stamps. \.r
1 fcfi jtfr**-•a'«'
And how about the suggestion
of cannibalism? Madwoman
Ntombaxl Ues up a young prince
and cuts hunks out oT his arm. '
Notice how women are , blamed
as the source oT all the evil?
Shaka a mom. Nandi. la blamed
for his murderous wmy. IT only
aha had humbly accepted her
diagrace by Shaka’s dad. and not
tried to strike back. Why, Shaka
might have become the Abe
Lincoln of Zululand rather
than being portrayed aa its Hit
ler.
Old it take only a bottle of hair
.1
i: -A’ssssl mm
Tweidy-two years ago. Doro
thy Bdftook a night job at Wa
chovia so she could spend days
with her children.
Today, that Job has taken her
• to a vice-president's post with
the banking giant
Bell. 43. supervises 31 workers
In Wachovia’s night remittance
division aa a vice president.
Contrary to popular belief.
. banking Is not a 9-to-5 business.
; There is ptoitty to be done at
night, which means the industry
! literally operates around the
' dock.
The hours are hardly typical-7
! p.m. to 3 a-m.. but after an these
year*, they aren't a bother.
{ 1 must like it," Bell informed.
Tve been working like that for
f 22 yenis."
£ BeB said she was looking for a
night job when daughter Nina,
now a biology teacher at Myers
Pork High, was a year old. Her
dedalon was baaed on her and
husband Vinton's desire to have
r a major role In their child's UAL^-i
WMcVimon. nowgindpdat
adit* m
freshman at Purraan and^Da*
. Vinton 3r. has been Dorothy's
him for* aPgSdr^rti^ of her
> n
So*eveSShS?llm«nuS£r!l^Jw
everything is computerized.''
Another change has been in
the number of businesses that
■ ___
•*fc ■«! J
Mr*. Bell's company ha* a good
record of hiring and promoting
people who don’t fit the profile
of the typical banker, and ahe
offered herself as proof.|,t;i 5?; J. .
"I’m a living example of that.
They promoted me on my mer- '
its." ahe pointed out. "I just did
the best that I could. 1 think they
give each employee an equal op* .-,.
port unity."
menta systematic genocide
•gainst American Indiana. In
. Shaka was Indeed a mighty
Zulu king. American blacks
would do well to be proud of his
jjja&tsasas
reduced to a stereotype. Those
who branded "Shaka^Zulu-^aa
|
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