AMAHLATHI APHELILE

Abstract

This body of work is inspired by how commemoration addresses some of the changes and developments after democracy in South Africa. My work portrays a visual representation of South African heroes who are now commemorated and blamed for their impact on the South African Freedom. The title “Amahlathi aphelile” is an isiXhosa phrase that means the forests are gone, or the forests are exhausted. In the specific cultural context this expression means that the truth is out. My art frames the problem of how we can move forward as a country without blaming others for their roles in our troubled history. The decline of our Xhoxa people started from Nongqawuse’s prophecy about the cow killings during the arrival of the Western people. The Eastern Cape province was suffering until the late Tata Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela become the first president to liberate the country. After Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, who is also from Eastern Cape, strove to upheld values but had little time to uplift his beloved Eastern Cape. Today it is one of the poorer provinces of the country, being left behind when it comes to social services. As an Eastern Cape born and breed young man, I have experienced some of these challenges. My objective with this visual research was to emphasise the history of the Eastern Cape heroes and heroines who played their role to gain freedom, and I aimed to visually rethink these values that we seem to have forgotten. Whilst the 1994 election symbolised the moral and intellectual leadership of South Africa, the current hegemony of the ANC shifted the power for their own benefits. My exhibition aimed to creatively reflect on these dominant tones of the rise and fall of power assumptions. My method of working is to observe and compare the human element, mostly depicting those with the authority. My art contemplate how they decide over others, and I also depict the disappointment and doubt, held in the faces of my compatriots. My surface of choice is black paper as it holds an emotional gravity, suggesting some of the weighty issues that we commemorate only to benefit a few. My concept is to visually represent the lives of Xhosa people and connect seemingly unrelated incidents. My research also analyses misconstrued narratives to bring justice to those who suffer, both well-known persons such as Nongqawuse, Chris Hani and Enoch Mgijima, and unknown people. This body of work fits into the scholarly framework of commemorative discourse. For example, in my work “The new Nongqawuse”, I try to bring in the tension of commemorating and blaming in a visual language that strive to express ambiguity. My work addresses people with both flaws and strengths such as Cyril Ramaphosa who was seen a saviour but is now regarded by many as an embezzler of funds. I see my work as a contribution to commemorative art that speak about leaders not only as heroes but as ordinary flawed human beings. For example, in one of my works, “If it was you what were you going to do”, the title demands this shift of mind from the viewer. The exhibition reached the public on various platforms such as Press release on SA ART TIMES of October 2022 published on 30th September, and the catalogue “Looking into… and seeing beyond” designed by Dr Ania Krajewska (2022). There was also a walkabout with academics and public at the Unisa Art gallery with lively discussions. My work was furthermore captured on the Unisa Institutional Repository for research purposes