The Zong

I’m in Los Angeles right now, and the media down here has a way of distorting what’s important all the time, so maybe it’s just my location, but was Anna Nicole Smith the fucking pope, or something? I listened to talk radio hosts mention offhand that another helicopter went down in Iraq, then spent about 45 minutes describing Smith’s life with words like “courageous” and “tragic.”

Rather than give this clueless celebrity any more press, let’s talk about Adelaide Tambo, who passed away last week in South Africa. Wait, you didn’t even know who she was? Neither did I (until two days ago), because the mainstream press seems to think Anna Nicole led a life more worthy of coverage and tribute. Let’s put a couple of paragraphs about the two women side by side, and you tell me which one is which, and which one you want to hear more about:

Through the ’90s and into the new century, she was famous for being famous, a pop-culture punchline because of her up-and-down weight, her Marilyn Monroe looks, her exaggerated curves, her little-girl voice, her ditzy-blonde persona, and her over-the-top revealing outfits.

Don’t guess until you read this one:

One of the best known figures in South Africa’s liberation struggle, she worked as a nurse for much of her life. Her home became a refuge for hundreds of South African exiles over the years, including former President Nelson Mandela, before he was jailed, and current President Thabo Mbeki.

Still don’t know? Well, here’s a hint. Adelaide Tambo wasn’t a blonde.

Tambo was a true heroine, exiled with her husband Oliver (who led the African National Congress) from South Africa during Apartheid. She worked as a nurse and activist, looking after other exiles and committing her life to South African liberation.

Thembi Modise, former ANC soldier and current speaker of the North West Province parliament, told national radio, Mama Adelaide’s caring embrace accommodated any who needed it.

“But I think all of us will always remember Ma Tambo for loving everybody,” said Modise. “For loving the poor, for opening up her arms, for making sure that people had food. Because she believed that you would never think, if your stomach was empty. She went all out and fed all of us.”

I’ll admit I know very little about the life of this remarkable woman. I really had to go looking for any information at all, but listening to the radio today I learned just about everything that happened in the life of Anna Nicole Smith, a cartoonish, pill-popping, worthless narcissist who I’m supposed to feel sorry for because her life was filled with “tragedies,” like when the 89-year old man she married died.

Chalk this one under the countless other examples we have of how fucked up our priorities are. You know and I know that the world needs a lot more Mama Adelaides and less Anna Nicoles, but a whole lot of people are watching round-the-clock coverage of the latter, while the former is being mourned far from the lazy eyes of the Western World.

- M.G.