Vol 9, No 2 (1990)

Against the background of the realist and expressionist film theories it is argued in this article that directors of films/videos on the environment should work in a more realistic style. The purpose should be to develop closer contact between the viewer and the environment. A brief descrip tion of realism and expressionism as two dominant styles in filmmaking and of Direct cinema and cinéma vérité is given, and the implications of these styles for the relationship Image/environment are discussed.

In this article an attempt is made to examine cabaret, a sub-genre of Dra ma, as an "alternative" communication transaction. Firstly, reference is made to the actual theatrical perfor mance as two-way communication (vide, Inter alla, Keir Elam) between a "cluster" of senders ( theatrical collaborators) and the receivers (= audlence). The history of cabaret is related briefly, with special reference to certain conventions that were es tablished In Paris (1881) and the Ber lin cabaret of the Welmar Republic - e.g. cross-dressing and other shock tactics, in order to high-light the mes sage as such. Subsequently, cabaret as "protest art"- Is examined: It is noted that most definitions, ex pressed by various historians and theoreticians, stress the fact that cabaret, primarily, is protest art. It is postulated that senders often rely on the "sleeper effect" to get the mes sage across. The emotive term (in the South African context) "alternative" is discussed before an attempt is made to demonstrate that discourse "Intervention" can create new mes sages out of existing literature through Juxtapositions. This article is based on a paper that was read at the annual SACOMM conference on September 6, 1990 at the HSRC, Pretoria

Language variety is a phenomenon which has enjoyed a great deal of at tention in the Republic of South Afri ca during the past few decades. The alm of this paper is to concentrate more on possible similari tles/universalla as strategy for Improved Black-White communication within the heterogeneous Eastern Cape society of our country. The con clusion is reached that before the above objective can be realized, a greater show of respect for each other's uniqueness must be acquired and more attention must be given to the organizing of discourse.

This article deals with State President De Klerk's historic opening address before Parliament on 2 February 1990. The focus is on the speak er's ethos as essentially conceptua Ilsed by Aristotle in his Rhetoric, and as it has evolved in modern public speaking in the oratory setting. The evaluation is an exercise in rhetorical criticism based on the artistic stan dard and neo-Aristotelian approach. Both verbal and non-verbal messages are considered. The author con. cludes that Mr De Klerk's display of ethos was credible insofar as he con veyed expertness (Intelligence), trust worthiness and good will during the speech. In fact, given the principles of (Western) democratic politics, no South African State President or Prime Minister has ever reached out with so much apparent good will to the vast majority of South Africans.

Social scientists have by and large allenated the rest of society from science, and In this process have re moved themselves from the dally mundane matters and demands of social life, through the theoretical objectification of society. People con stituting society, on the other hand, are subjectively engaged in everyday social life. In its application of objec tive theory, science falls to share Emeaning in terms of subjective ex meaning with human beings who find perience. This article pursues the no tion that perception plays a crucial part in communication; that percep tion is shaped by experience; and that experience is historically and situationally specific. Objective the ory, being a deliberate attempt to transcend specific instances of sub. jective experiences both in time and place, is incompatible with the con tingency inherent in subjective ex perience. In trying to say too much by encompassing too much of mankind, objective theory has very little to say to people in real situations.

COMMUNICARE encourages the scientific debate. Our last contribu tion is published in response to the article of Tomaselli & Louw In 9(1), who questioned some of the predie tions regarding post-apartheid media In an earlier article by the author pub lished In 8(1). These are his repiles... Prof Keyan Tomaselli, Director of the Cultural Studies Unit at the University of Natal (Durban), is without doubt one of most prolific writers in the field of South African media and communication studies. This is not a matter of c tention; what is at stake in this review article Is the way in which Tomaselll deals with statements and facts in his pub lications. It is argued that Tomaselli Is prone to state a debatable point as a "scientific fact" and then proceeds to build a whole theoretical argument on this and similar "facts". It is fur ther argued that his article: 'Vrye Weekblad' and post-apartheld mania; what to do with the press? is a case In point.

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