The whisky ad and the Women’s March: When the struggle becomes a marketing campaign

A whisky advertising campaign that employed the 1956 Women's March and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's voice to sell alcohol has been criticized for trivializing anti-apartheid history in favor of consumerism. Athambile Masola, a historian at the University of Cape Town, tried to imagine the decision-makers' reasoning behind using the historic event for advertising Glenlivet whisky.

Despite her goodwill, she found the advertisement deeply problematic and troubling. The use of a beautiful woman reflecting and toasting to historic figures, along with the underlying message of style and sophistication, failed to capture the significance and pain of the past. The outrage at the advert highlights the importance of a sharpened historical consciousness, critical thinking, and debate.

Masola questions whether the historic women could have enjoyed a glass of alcohol to celebrate their special occasions or if their lives were all struggle with no moment of reprieve. While the Glenlivet advert has been taken down and apologies were made, the underlying issue of the devaluation of history persists, particularly when it comes to women's history.