Coca Cola and the exploitation of Mandela Inc.

[dArKeR]

I tell the tale with much admiration. I am an unmitigated fan of the man. And it is as an unquestioning admirer that I watch, with irritation, the financial exploitation of Mandela's celebrity status, which has somehow been tied up with the great man's 85th birthday celebrations.

There has been a long history of attempts to make money out of Mandela's name. In fact his ex-wife, Winnie, with the help of an American shyster, actually tried to secure copyright on the name while he was still in prison.

Since his release Mandela himself has long made clear his readiness to tap his fame for charitable purposes. But somehow the rendering of his birthday party at the weekend as a Coca-Cola event struck me as unfortunate. By all means allow the occasional bottle of coke to intrude into a camera shot, but to have an executive presenting himself as host and rabbiting away about his product...

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=17847

The Thousand Headed Satanic Beast
http://www2.coca-cola.com/brands/brandlist.html

http://darkerxdarker.tripod.com/