Trudeau Happy Born-Day

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Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada was born on the 25th of December. They call birthday born day in South Africa. It comes from  ‘usuku loku zalwa’, in Zulu, one of the languages spoken in that country. 

COVID-19 Press Briefings

How old is the Prime Minister? Canadians play hide and seek in their heads instead of taking in the grim skating marks, the pandemic is scratching on the nation. Facts and figures. Unfortunately, that is television’s downside.

We tend to look at the person’s eyes, clothes and hair. That’s why publicists give politicians bullet points, or ‘sound bites’ as they call them. In other words, viewers are too busy looking at the face to soak in important information, such as the extension of COVID-19 money for workers and businesses.

How old is the Prime Minister? Perhaps he also wonders. Is that why he grew a beard? Granted, Trudeau spotted some beards before the pandemic, but he wore a beard consistently in his COVID-19 press briefings. Is it voluntary, did his barber refuse to wear a mask, or his publicists feel he should?

Voters and Age

It’s just a beard, but it can be more than that. Some people voted for him in 2015 because he was young, athletic like the guy across the border, President Obama.

Equally, there are some who didn’t vote for him because he looked young, too young to run a whole country. Indeed, some opposition parties capitalized on his youth, and peddled their experience.

It didn’t work because he collected enough seats to form a majority government. Isn’t this trivial, talking about youth, beards? No it isn’t because voters have a mind of their own.

We expect them to vote for policies: employment, a living wage,  immigration, health, energy, the environment etc. Instead, they vote for how a leader looks. Is he photo-op ready?

How old is the Prime Minister? It’s only Sophie who knows. Nonetheless, on Christmas Day, friends and haters will say Happy Born-Day Justin.’

This is another ‘written podcast’ from Nonqaba waka Msimang. 

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