The Little Green Bag ... Barend La Grange

"I still feel a little bit embarrassed about my involvement in the incident," says Barend La Grange who became famously known as one of the people who defaced The Spear painting back in 2012. "Nobody did anything to defuse the situation. As a white  Afrikaans speaking person I decided to deface the art work. I don't regret it, I was not allowed to do it, it was against the Law. I am still sitting with a criminal record," says Barend on the iStart2 Show this week. 

Barend is passionate about Race Relations and tries to bring different groupings of people together. For him the whole incident was about better race relations in South Africa. "It took the sting out of the race debate and changed the narrative into an academic debate about freedom of expression versus the right to protect someone's dignity." 

He firmly believes that good relations is not a given and that it should be managed all the time. "I think we are making progress, but we all have a responsibility to work towards it. We have to be very sensitive towards other cultures and it is so important to talk about this issue."

"Every year I choose a specific route into Africa and travel by local transport to different countries. It gives me the opportunity to experience the world." You can follow his travels by connecting to Barend on his facebook page here "The reason I travel is because people are so different." 

To listen to the interview with Barend click play below:

Thought of the Day:

Have a wonderful week!