GARETH VAN ONSELEN: What happened to the art of speechmaking?
Repetition wrapped in clichés inside a PR slogan is the hallmark of SA’s forgettable political speeches
25 November 2020 - 05:07
Our fractured politics suffers at least one common trait: the unmemorable speech.
It comes in various forms — the long drawn out list; the cliché-ridden call to arms; the staid critique; the wild, angry rant; the incomprehensible babble — but, whatever its shape or form, it tends to lack those things that set a great speech apart: originality, beautifully sustained prose and authority, and thus the ability to leave an indelible mark on the public mind...
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