A complaint was received in regard to the live broadcast on SABC 2 of a Freedom celebration 
Festival. It was felt that the praise-singer’s chants were subversive of Christianity. Although the Tribunal has understanding for the sincerity with which the complaint was lodged and argued before us, the complainant would, with respect, seem to have read too much into the words of the praise-singer. The chants of the praise-singer are uniquely adapted to Africa and its Peoples. It must be judged within that context. The theme is one of the strength of Africa and its Peoples and how African tradition was misunderstood by missionaries (and, of course, also by many other immigrants). Of course, possibly there was an overstatement, but that would be typical of a praise-singer. Likely viewers would understand the chant of the praise-singer as amounting to typical sable rattling, including truths and even exaggeration. It did not amount to an attack on Christianity, but was obviously intended to be an attack against the misunderstanding which European missionaries, at times, had of African culture and religion. The complaint was not upheld.