South African fast-food chain Nando's has had to pull a parody commercial it made spoofing Zimbabwe's dictator Robert Mugabe after its Zimbabwe franchises received threats from supporters of the leader. Nando's, which the BBC says is known for its humorous ad campaigns, produced a commercial seemingly inspired by the Arab Spring movement. The viral ad featured an actor playing Mugabe, depicted as the "last dictator standing," fondly recalling the times he spent with other brutal, now-deposed leaders. It shows him in a super-soaker war with Muammar Qaddafi and making "sand angels" with Saddam Hussein. And while the ad seemed to please some who passed it around the web this week, it was shown on stations around Africa and including Zimbabwe, and it didn't go over so well with Mugabe-supporters there. The BBC reports:
Mugabe loyalists from the Chipangano group had called for a boycott and other unspecified punitive action against the company.
"We condemn such adverts because it reduces our president to be someone without values," Chipangano leader Jimmy Kunaka told the BBC's Brian Hungwe earlier this week.
The BBC has a statement from Nando's which reads in part, "We've noted with concern the political reaction emanating out of Zimbabwe ... We feel strongly that this is the prudent step to take in a volatile climate and believe that no TV commercial is worth risking the safety of Nando's staff and customers." Seems like a wise, if sad, move on the company's part. Watch the ad below:
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