Post by Admin on Jul 8, 2015 16:26:42 GMT
This is exactly the sort of behavior that brain washing can produce, and worse. The man's history, sadly, makes him a receptive target/successful subject.
Nelson Mandela Memorial Sign Language Mis-Interpreter Thamsanqa Jantjie
Nelson Mandela Memorial Sign Language Mis-interpretor Thamsanqa Jantjie defends himself after the event:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dt-d5GvYso
CNN Interview with Thamsanqa Jantjie:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xX44YFTpQ8
From The Telegraph:
Nelson Mandela memorial interpreter 'was a fake'
Man who provided sign language interpretation on stage for Nelson Mandela's memorial service, attended by scores of heads of state, was simply "making childish hand gestures" for hours
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/10510455/Nelson-Mandela-memorial-interpreter-was-a-fake.html
By Aislinn Laing, Pretoria and Josie Ensor6:27PM GMT 11 Dec 2013
A mystery South African man who acted as a sign-language interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service was a “fraud” who simply made “childish hand gestures” for hours as he stood on stage.
Deaf groups say the man, who has not yet been identified, made no sense in any language to those relying on him around the world, and did not seem to know the recognised signs for South Africa, Mr Mandela’s clan name Madiba, President Jacob Zuma or former President Thabo Mbeki.
As a result, they say, he had the effect of marginalising the deaf community, which was “contrary to everything Mandela fought for”.
The embarrassing revelation also raises questions about the security at the landmark event, which was attended by 91 heads of state and government including Barack Obama and David Cameron.
The interpreter, who wore the clearance pass of a government official, stood just feet from Mr Obama as he made his widely-praised speech, and also interpreted for South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma, who apparently faces such a high threat level that he recently spent £12.4m on security upgrades to his private home.
The latest embarrassment was compounded by the news that Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s house in Cape Town was burgled as he spoke at the event.
David Buxton, the CEO of the British Deaf Association, called on the South African authorities to “name and shame” the man who, he said, had acted in a way that was “disrespectful and hurtful” to deaf people around the world.
While some South Africans took to Twitter to claim the man had been signing in a South African language such as Xhosa or Zulu, Mr Buxton said he was purely making “childish hand gestures and clapping, it was as if he had never learn a word of sign language in his life”.
“It was hours of complete nonsense,” he said. “He is clearly a fraud who wanted to stand on stage with big and important people. It’s quite audacious if you think about it,” he said.
“It is incredibly disrespectful and hurtful to the deaf community.”
Mr Buxton said the man had provided sign language for a speech for Mr Zuma at a military event last year. At that appearance, a deaf person in the audience videotaped the event and gave it to the federation for the deaf, which analysed the video, prepared a report about it and submitted a formal complaint to the African National Congress (ANC).
Sign language experts in South Africa said that all of the country’s 11 official languages were covered by the same signs, and they saw none of them used, nor any of the facial gestures that usually feature.
Ingrid Parkin, principal of the St Vincent School for the Deaf in Johannesburg, said she had received complaints from deaf people from around the world about the “gibberish” interpretation.
“This man himself knows he cannot sign and he had the guts to stand on an international stage and do that,” she said.
Martie Miranda, a sign language instructor at the University of the Free State, said a simple phone call to DeafSA would have prevented the spectacle, which marginalised deaf viewers and was “contrary to everything Mandela fought for”.
It remains unclear whether the man was sourced by the government which organised the event, the ruling ANC or the national broadcaster the SABC.
The government said it was still looking into how the man was recruited. The SABC could not be reached for comment.
The ANC confirmed it had used him “as a volunteer” at several events previously, including its centenary celebrations in Bloemfontein last year.
“We’ve never had any complaints before,” spokesman Keith Khoza said.
But Wilma Newhoudt-Druchen, an ANC MP and the vice-chairperson of the Deaf Federation of SA (DeafSA), told the City Press newspaper that the DeafSA had submitted a report about the man to the party in 2012 but received no response.
“When a deaf person complains, nobody listens,” said Newhoudt-Druchen.
From "The Guardian"
December 20, 2013
www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/20/nelson-mandela-memorial-interpreter-psychiatric-hospital
Nelson Mandela 'fake' interpreter admitted to psychiatric hospital
Thamsanqa Jantjie, who says he had schizophrenic episode at memorial, was taken for check-up then admitted
David Smith in Johannesburg
Friday 20 December 2013 08.34 EST Last modified on Thursday 22 May 2014 06.50 EDT
An interpreter accused of faking sign language at Nelson Mandela's memorial service has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.
Thamsanqa Jantjie has claimed that he had a schizophrenic episode and saw angels descending on the Johannesburg stadium where his bizarre signing prompted consternation last week. The 34-year-old became the subject of worldwide mockery and was bombarded with interview requests.
South Africa's Star newspaper said Jantjie's wife, Siziwe, had taken her husband for a check-up on Tuesday at a psychiatric hospital, which determined that he should be admitted. "The past few days have been hard," Siziwe was quoted as saying. "We have been supportive because he might have had a breakdown."
Jantjie had an appointment for a check-up at the Sterkfontein psychiatric hospital in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg, on 10 December, the Star reported. But this was shifted after he was offered the job to sign at the Mandela memorial service, which was held on the same day.
On Friday Siziwe confirmed that her husband was in hospital and she did not know how long he would be there.
Jantjie has admitted to a history of mental problems and violent episodes in the past and that he had been a patient in a psychiatric institution for more than a year. He was discharged and started working after being medicated and monitored by doctors.
Sign language experts said his translations of eulogies at the globally televised service, attended by nearly 100 current and former heads of state and government, amounted to gobbledygook. The clownish performance, just feet from President Barack Obama and other speakers, raised questions over what security measures were in place.
Earlier this week the Associated Press reported that a cousin and three friends of Jantjie alleged he was part of a mob that accosted two men found with a stolen television and burned them to death by setting fire to tyres placed around their necks – a notorious vigilante tactic known as necklacing.
Jantjie never went on trial for the 2003 killings, while the other suspects did, because authorities determined he was not mentally fit to stand trial, the four told the AP. Jantjie has denied the allegations.
South African media have reported that he has also allegedly faced rape, kidnapping and theft charges. In his home province of Free State, local media have claimed Jantjie has impersonated a lawyer and traditional healer.
The South African government has admitted a mistake was made and Jantjie was not suitably qualified for the memorial service. It has started an investigation and apologised to deaf people for any offence it may have caused.
The African National Congress is investigating claims that some of its officials were directors of the company for which the signer worked.
From The Telegraph:
A new Acting Career!
What happened to the fake Nelson Mandela interpreter? One Year Later
One year on from the death of Nelson Mandela, Thamsanqa Jantjie, the fake sign language interpreter who appeared at the leader's memeorial service, is attempting a change of career
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/nelson-mandela/11274963/What-happened-to-the-fake-Nelson-Mandela-interpreter.html
By Oliver Duggan10:46AM GMT 05 Dec 2014
In the 12 months since Nelson Mandela died aged 95, South Africa has wrestled with a turbulent year in politics that threatens to derail the former president's legacy.
But for the man who grabbed headlines around the world by appearing to fake the sign language interpretation of Mandela's memorial service, 2014 has been a chance for a change of career.
Thamsanqa Jantjie caused outrage when he stood for hours alongside global leaders making "childish hand gestures" in a bizarre attempt to sign their tributes to the late freedom campaigner.
Deaf groups responded immediately, saying he made no sense in any language and did not seem to know the recognised signs for South Africa, Mr Mandela’s clan name Madiba, President Jacob Zuma or former President Thabo Mbeki.
Sign language experts later attempted to decipher Mr Jantjie's hand waving and he was subsequently barred from working as a sign language interpreter by Deaf South Africa.
It has since emerged that the fake signer has switched to acting, but is struggling to get work with all the negative publicity surrounding his appearance at Mandela's memorial service.
"You can just imagine how difficult it is because interpreting was my future, it was my job. I have to settle for another career ... It's difficult, but men have to do what men have to do," he reportedly told a South African radio station.
"I'm doing adverts and acting. I have to work hard for my kids. I'm not interpreting at all. The Deaf South Africa have stopped me."
In a bid to launch his new career, Jantjie has released a showreel in which he pledges to "make up to the whole world" after his performance at the memorial in December 2013.
"He didn't have any lip pattern. There was no talking through what he was listening to, to be able to back up with the signs," Rachel Hubbard, an expert in sign language from Deaf Umbrella, said of Mr Jantjie at the time.
"Usually when you're signing you're actually thinking about the translation process and the linguistic changeover. So you would either be looking straight ahead of you, or perhaps slightly down, so you're concentrating on what you have to interpret."