Poet AE Ballakisten’s video rant at Zuma: “We boo you.” Brilliant.

South Africans go to the polls in just over two weeks. With an unpopular leader, momentum swinging to the Official Opposition and the emergence of a populist party of young firebrands, the ruling ANC faces clear headwinds. Not so obvious, though, is the growing influence of social media which some creative South Africans are leveraging to express their unhappiness, especially with President Jacob Zuma. One version of the Nkandla Style video, an anti-Zuma satire set to the catchy Gangnam Style tune, has been viewed almost 400 000 times, generating over 550 posted comments. South African poet and social philosopher AE Ballakisten has joined Zuma’s creative critics with a quite brilliant “rant” video embedded below. Educated at Wits, London Business School and Harvard University, on his website Ballakisten says “I believe that the poet is the scribe of the spirit, so all poetry is the result of eavesdropping on the gods.” Judging by this contribution, he’s also been listening to those downstairs. – AH