Browsing by Department "Centre for Film and Media Studies"

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    A critical reflection on the production of this deadly air we breathe (2023) and the use of participatory and expository modes of representation in documentary films with lessons from Unearthed (2014)
    (2024) Mohane, Patrick; Maasdorp, Liani
    Self-reflection is a critical component of both the creative and research related processes. In addition to learning through the practical process, there could also be learning about, and from the undertaken practical process itself as part of inquiry. This study accompanies the research documentary film that I have produced titled, this deadly air we breathe (2023). The analysis attempts to deliberate and answer the question of the importance and the role of the documentary modes of representation towards the realisation of any envisaged documentary film. I am analysing the use of these modes of representation against filmmaking pre-production and post-production activities such as the creation of a story outline,scripting and editing respectively. Furthermore, related to this is the filming approach and amendments thereof, that are influenced by location, space, and time. Thus, bearing in mind the changes that may occur and their implication on the final film outcomes, including future practice development and improvement for myself. The goal being to consider the learning outcomes from the process, and to reflect on how activities were undertaken, or perhaps, ought to have been undertaken in the development of my short documentary film. This study contemplates the lessons incorporated at the initial film development stages, sourced through the reference feature length documentary film Unearthed (Minnaar, 2014). Impact filmmaking is relayed as part of the resulted learning considerations added with the analysis of this deadly air we breathe film development from a film creation perspective. With the focus on context of film production from a mode perspective, a self-questioning on mode application and timing of their incorporation is also discussed. By exploring the filmmaker's testimony about the self-reflection elements, the study discerns the prospect of impact filmmaking through the lessons implied. By way of conclusion, this explication makes concession through the identification of existing impact film components, possible future opportunities for this deadly air we breathe film along those lines, and within the body of climate and environmental films.
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    A Framing Analysis of #MeToo YouTube-based News Coverage in BRICS: Media Censorship, State-controlled Channels & the Obstruction of Online Feminist Activism in China, Russia and Brazil
    (2021) Hoareau, Charlotte; Ntunja, Tando
    This comparative study investigates the media representation of YouTube-based news about the #MeToo campaign, feminism, and sexual harassment accounts in three BRICS nations: China, Russia and Brazil. The situation of women in the Global South was at the centre of discussions during the 2018 BRICS summit. While their security remains a persistent issue, officials declared that women should not feel unsafe while participating in economic activity. Although the bloc flagged gender disparities as a significant concern, media outlets perceive Russia, Brazil and China's responses to sexism and gender-based violence as inadequate. Various mechanisms also compromise activism for women's rights. This research focuses on the YouTube representation of conditions which gave rise to the campaign and the process of #MeToo in BRICS. This study considers the level of inclusion of women in economic activity, the procedures established for their safety as well as the extent of media freedom, including tools available for feminist advocacy. In addition to revealing gaps in depiction and proposing solutions for improved media framing, this research is significant because the role and repercussions of this viral campaign must be comprehended better in BRICS economies. Academics focused mainly on the impact of the movement in the West. However, the innovative feminist trend rapidly spread to non-western nations that are dominant emerging economies, showing the gravity of sexual harassment and gender disparities globally. Furthermore, the extent to which #MeToo had influenced localised iterations of anti-assault movements in these emerging countries suggests that the BRICS became sites where sexual abuse and gender inequalities unfold singularly in comparison to other nations. The study presents findings from primary research done on the BRICS, this online social movement #MeToo and related gender dynamics issues. After a presentation of the selected study design, the research provides results from a content analysis of thirty YouTube news reports (October 2017-March 2019).
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    A Hypothetical Exploration of Survival, Colonisation and Interplanetary Relations Around the planet Mars
    (2019) Reid, Caroline; Irwin, Ronald
    Three novellas exploring the short and long-term implications of Martian colonisation and an explication. The first part examines the necessity of a robust and mentally-fit crew along with the relationships between corporatism. The second, which happens a century later, explores the health effects of long-term living on Mars along with the Earth disconnect by Martian-born humans. In the third part, another century later, the long-term strains of sustaining such a project are examined on Earth and how Martians are used as scapegoats. The explication describes the scientific motivations behind some aspects of the novel, including how the conditions of Mars necessitates certain survival protocols.
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    Absences, exclusivities and utopias: Afrikaans film as a cinema of political impotence, 1994 - 2014
    (2016) Broodryk, Chris Willem; Botha, Martin P
    This thesis develops a conceptual and theoretical framework within which to position contemporary Afrikaans cinema as a cinema of political impotence. Afrikaans cinema is first located within the tensions of democratic post-transitional South African society and linked to the identity politics of being identified as 'Afrikaner' or 'Afrikaans speaking'. The thesis provides a critical overview of film scholar Thomas Elsaesser's studies of (New) German Cinema and Hollywood, identifying key notions such as double occupancy to inform the study's vocabulary, and discussing how certain cultures have responded to traumatic events in which they were complicit. The thesis then links Elsaesser's studies to Fredric Jameson's views on political cinema and the political failures of postmodernism. This conceptual and theoretical framework identifies and problematises the neoliberal structures that guide much of Afrikaans filmmaking, and offers a historical overview of key moments and figures in South African (primarily Afrikaans) filmmaking in order to demonstrate that there Afrikaans cinema.
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    “According to social media…” Examining the influence of social media on political reporting within Zimbabwe’s mainstream media
    (2019) Ndou, Delta Lau Milayo; Chuma, Wallace
    The Internet’s liberative qualities have been hyped by a number of Zimbabwean scholars who argue, on the basis of the existence of online alternative media that carries political content, that democratisation can be technology-led. Given that the question of source selection is connected to the democratising potential of the Internet (Lecheler and Kruikemeier, 2016) by some scholars – this study interrogated the liberative potential of the Internet by tracing the social media sourcing patterns of four daily newspapers within Zimbabwe’s polarised mainstream media. Using a mixed methods approach which deployed Actor-Network theory as a preliminary methodological tool, this study collected and evaluated empirical data drawn from 146 social media sourced political stories published over a 30-month period and the responses from semi-structured interviews with purposively sampled participants – to account for the human and non-human actors in the news production network. A social constructivist analytical lens was then used to appreciate the contexts in which social media sourcing was being adopted in newsrooms, which revealed how unique circumstances had triggered unprecedented reliance on social media as a political news source. Those unique circumstances involved an escalation of factional fighting within the ruling ZANU PF that morphed into a propaganda war, which was waged through The Herald newspaper by one faction and through social media by the other faction. The public feud, which played out on social media, forced political reporters to gather story ideas from social media and overly rely on a few tech savvy elite sources. In these circumstances, social media’s influence on the political news agenda was overstated as it was conflated with the influence of a news event (ZANU PF factionalism) and the influence of social media users (high-ranking ZANU PF members) who could not be ignored. It is hoped that the findings of this study will contribute towards filling the lacuna in terms of scholarship demonstrating the influence of social media within Zimbabwe’s political narratives.
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    Act local, think global – The aesthetics of success: race and Beauty in the global south: a reflection on South African women content creators' online performances on YouTube and Instagram
    (2020) Kigundu-Touré, Ivy; Smit, Alexia
    This media creative project explores the experiences of South African women on social media platforms. The idea for this project stems from my personal experiences as an avid consumer and viewer of online content generated by these women. My engagement with YouTube began about ten years ago, when I started to consistently watch YouTube videos. Later, I would go on to consume Instagram posts by digital content creators. However, these consumption choices of mine were not functions of random videos or pictures promoted on these platforms. Rather my consumption was driven by a desire to see women who looked like me - black women. From 2009 onward black diasporic women, and women on the African continent, were suddenly, it seemed, putting out content related to black women's experiences in the world, with themes relating to education, hair, beauty and all other sorts of lifestyle-related topics. I would be lying if I did not mention how the women on YouTube talking about their natural hair drove me to explore a hair routine away from chemicals. Straightening our natural hair and being 'presentable' according to Eurocentric standards were for a long time, a burden into my life. I began consuming their videos whereby the content creators were encouraging the viewers to own their natural hair and most importantly, own whatever hairstyle they seemed to 3 fit. The choice of how we present ourselves seemed to come back to us, and the space in which it was performed felt like a safe, communal one. Six years ago, a black youtuber called Chizi Duru, had cut all her hair to start all over again without any chemicals. The act of cutting off all your hair within the community was labeled 'The Big Chop': an act of rebirth, renewal and resistance for black women. I went along and did the same, following her journey and exploring my own.
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    Adapting Mozambique : representations of violence and trauma in Mozambican cinema and literature
    (2013) Mulliken, Douglas; Botha, Martin
    This dissertation examines the ways in which violence and trauma are represented in two novels - Lídia Jorge’s A Costa dos Murmúrios (1988) and Mia Couto’s Terra Sonâmbula (1992) - and the cinematic adaptations of those novels - Margarida Cardoso’s A Costa dos Murmúrios (2004) and Teresa Prata’s Terra Sonâmbula (2007). All four works take place in Mozambique and actively engage with the two primary conflicts that occurred in that country - the Mozambican War of Independence (also known as the Anti-Colonial War), fought between 1964 and 1974, and the Mozambican Civil War, fought between 1977 and 1992. In order to provide suitable context for the textual and theoretical analysis found in the body of the dissertation, the study begins by providing a brief review of the history of cinema in Mozambique, focussing primarily on the period stretching from the start of the Anti-Colonial War in 1964 to the present day. It also examines the concept of national cinema, and whether such an idea is justifiable in a Mozambican context. The study continues by considering, in Chapter 2, the concept of adaptation and its limits. This chapter also provides an historical background for some of the atrocities committed during the Mozambican Civil War. Chapter 3 consists of close textual analysis of the two versions of A Costa dos Murmúrios. The chapter identifies two main themes running through both works - the question of subjectivity and a postmodern presentation of history, and the tense, erotic relationship that exists between the two main female protagonists of the narrative, both of whom end up the victims of severe trauma. Chapter 4 looks at the literary and cinematic incarnations of Terra Sonâmbula, with special attention paid to the function of magical realism in both works. This chapter argues that Couto uses magical realism as a sort of coping mechanism which allows his characters to remain hopeful, while the relative absence of magical realism in Prata’s film results in an entirely different representation of both the Mozambican Civil War and the experience of those who lived through it. This work concludes by arguing against too essentialist an understanding of how we define and categorise works of art, regardless of medium. Finally, it calls for further English-language scholarship in the field of Lusophone African cinema.
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    An analysis of SABC coverage of political parties in the 2019 elections
    (2021) Zulu, Nelly Teressa; Chuma, Wallace
    This study critically analyses the coverage of the three main political parties (ANC, DA and EFF) in the 2019 elections by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). The SABC has been one of the main sources of information for millions of citizens across the country and many South Africans rely on the SABC for news concerning election proceedings. Therefore, the study aims to observe the role of the SABC in society, and politics during the 2019 elections in South Africa. The objective of this dissertation is to investigate whether the SABC‘s coverage was fair on the three main political parties or not. This research chose to use framing and social responsibility theory as guidelines to reliable and convincing information. Data for this research was obtained through secondary data from the SABC online channel; the study used election reports and its visuals such as pictures, videos for analysis. The study further used videos from the beginning of 2019 election campaigns, until the last day of elections which was scheduled on the 10th of May 2019. According to the research findings, the SABC did not represent the real image of the political parties which may be regarded as unprofessional and may taint the quality of their work. The research shows that in the media there are deep-rooted social and cultural issues that need transformation. The studies notes that media reforms can be the solution to some of the issues discussed in this dissertation. During election period the media was seen as bias, giving more coverage to the ruling party and this conduct led many to conclude that the SABC was used as a mouthpiece of certain political parties. However, the study also observed that there are traditional news factors that influenced the news selection.
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    An Ethnographic Study on Heritage Preservation in Bo-Kaap
    (2020) Correia, Shannon; Haupt, Adam
    This research paper analyses the culture and community in Bo-Kaap, which is battling to preserve its heritage amid growing gentrification. Gentrification in this area is analysed as a special case in point, as although gentrification is happening in other neighbourhoods in Cape Town, Bo-Kaap is the home of Islam in South Africa, and is geographically set in a prime location of the city. This research paper includes an ethnographic study, as well as a photographic essay and a podcast series which supports the research in creative forms.The researcher interviewed several people from the area to discern the culture and the issues faced by the community. This paper examines the ethnographic lived experience of the researcher, as well as that of a local family. Three main events are examined to provide insight into the culture and community, namely an AirBnb traditional cooking experience, Eid AlAdha and the visit to the area by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The findings of this paper show that significant changes have and continue to occur, although the community is resilient in their efforts to preserve the culture. This research aims to provide additional and alternative records of the culture of the community as it stands in present day, in a holistic research effort. It also showcases the importance of the rich culture of the community which society needs to ensure is preserved.
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    An analysis of the political rhetoric of South African President Jacob Zuma's speeches on climate change
    (2015) Govender, Dayaneethi; Saleh, Ibrahim
    Climate change has a global impact on all sectors of life including politics and the economy; health and food security, social justice and media. There are stark contrasts in the political and scientific debates on climate change. The economic impacts have already gripped the attention of both the political elite and science community, who also recognise the threats on the survival of the human population. Recent global climate change meetings such as the COPs are an indication that politics, and not necessarily science, is at the centre of this environmental challenge. In politics, policy debates are arguments over actions. It is therefore important to understand how the SA government communicates climate change given its status as a leading force in Africa and its insurmountable socio-economic challenges. With a theoretical understanding of Moral Foundation Theory, Steve Vanderheiden’s political theory that addresses climate change justice and framing theory and textual analysis, the researcher analyses President Jacob Zuma’s climate change speeches during COP to identify master narratives, given the president’s visibility and political direction at these high level meetings. This dissertation contributes to the lack of scholarship on how the president communicates climate change within the communication field and general shortage of presidential rhetoric in Africa. Zuma’s rhetoric on climate change indicates that SA’s priority is economic development and this will not be compromised by climate change policy that halts growth in developing nations. Zuma is clear that common but differentiated responsibilities must remain the cornerstone of climate change policy, if fairness, balance and equity are to be realised. He stands by this argument despite growing GHG emissions from some of the developing nations, including South Africa.
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    Animating the image : reflections on character and process in the "The First and Last Loves of Leonardo Lopes"
    (2006) Rodrigues, Christopher
    In reflecting on the process of making the short film "The First and Last Loves of Leonardo Lopes" the author argues against interpretation as a method for working with character and its development. It is contended that the formative unconscious imagers) at the heart of a character requires a director to be more sensory in her/his response and to develop an intimate process of animating the image. The descriptive personal vocabularies of feeling, intuition and sensation are accordingly juxtaposed against prescriptive impersonal intellectual modalities that diminish immediacy as a by-product of its "latent content". Active imagination, poetry and music are seen as more appropriate models for the filmmaker than theories and theses. The author goes on to consider the dialectical reinforcement of interpretive strategies as a result of the economic pressures of the film industry and argues for a more process friendly conception of production. After reflecting on the role and insecurities of the director in a collaborative art form, a motivation is provided for the "natural voice" of the accompanying director's commentary.
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    Art, outrage, dialogue: a McLuhan reading of three visual communicative practices in Cape Town public space
    (2015) Brown, Storm Jade; Irwin, Ronald
    This mini-dissertation places a specific focus on the City of Cape Town and considers the space between aesthetics, commercial interest and social relevance in public visual communication practices. Instead of making a general statement or providing a value judgement, this research examines the nature of the debate surrounding public artistic practices by referring to three main artists; namely Michael Elion, The Tokolos Stencil Collective and Freddy Sam. The basis of the discussion is centred around the recent controversy surrounding Michael Elion's Sea Point public art sculpture, Perceiving Freedom (2014) and the respective questions it raised about what public space means, who has the right to represent themselves, and what that looks like. By drawing a comparison with Perceiving Freedom (2014) to the visual communicative practices of Freddy Sam and The Tokolos Stencil Collective, this research examines the progression of the debate. This encompasses the ways in which each artist and their work serve to illuminate the different visual modes of engagement in Cape Town's public spaces. Due to the contemporary nature of the subject matter, this debate is engaged with on three different levels. The first level examines the context of this debate and each artist, whereas the second level considers the points where their respective visual communicative practices intersect and engage in dialogue with each other as well as the general public. The last level considers an alternative way of reading the content, context and form of visual communicative practices so that their resulting effect can be better understood. This is done with the use of Marshall McLuhan's (1964) total effect media theory. Although several other prominent South African artists are mentioned in the scope of this research, it is important to note that the focus still pertains to the aforementioned themes of aesthetics, commercial interest and social relevance in public visual representative practices. Therefore Michael Elion, The Tokolos Stencil Collective and Freddy Sam remain the specific focus of discussion, as their respective works are used to illustrate these three themes. The first level of engagement offers a theoretical background to the reader by briefly familiarising them with international street art and graffiti practices. This brief yet concise background allows for a better understanding of the history and politics surrounding unsanctioned public visual practices and how they differ to formal sanctioned and funded ones.
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    Assessing news coverage of the South African Legislative laws
    (2013) Ndyondya, Kanyisa; Saleh, Ibrahim
    This thesis attempts to examine the news coverage of South Africa’s legislative laws passed by the Parliament, by looking at the coverage of print media using qualitative content analysis. The thesis aims to understand the dominant messages being conveyed within the news texts and reader comments, specifically whose voice was represented, who was the intended audience and what the overall tone was. The researcher argues that taking editorial positions, the control of content and toning down of the issues is determined by journalists which they consider doing such as national interest. In this geo-political context of South Africa, the engagement of media in covering the issue of legislative laws places an important area of study. It is the media that reports events, responses, criticisms etc. in relation to the legislative laws, on the basis of which various actors and concerned people make their views about the event. As well, how reporting is done, shaped, framed; what sources have been used in news; what roles journalists play in the news coverage; and how ownership of media differs in news reporting and coverage very much reflects on whether or not and to what extent the newspapers respects legislative laws are interesting questions to be answered. This study is based on the case study of the coverage of New Age and The Times. Despite journalists being expected to serve the national interest of the state, differences can be observed in coverage, reporting and providing spaces to news and articles related to New Age and The Times. This hypothesis also supports the argument projected in the thesis that there are real ideological reasons why the media do not oppose the status quo, based on ideological lens grounded by the state and reporting system could rarely go against the establishments implying to the commitment to patriotism and to the nation which the government represents (Wicker, p. 19 cited in Malek and Wiegand).
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    Assessing the growing impact and potential of social networking mediums in crisis communication in South Africa : A Case Study of the South African Protection of State Information Bill
    (2015) Moyo, Nokuthula; Saleh, Ibrahim
    With new political developments breeding opportunities for crises, proliferation of new media types increasing exposure to crises, there is a growing awareness of the potential, influence, impact and capabilities of social media. Focusing on South Africa's Secrecy Bill, a crisis with implications on access to information and media freedom, this study provides a discussion of the dynamics of crisis communication online. By undertaking an analysis of the uses of social media during deliberations of the Secrecy Bill and its implications, the study sought to explore how young South Africans have embraced social media as a communication tool. An examination of the literature reveals that younger generations are frequent bloggers and users of Twitter, a popular social media site. Focusing on these two platforms, through a qualitative content analysis, findings show that their contribution to deliberations was mainly to make sense of the crisis and distribute relevant materials relating to the debate.
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    At the end of the Rainbow: Jerusalema and the South African gangster film
    (2010) Marx, Lesley
    Between Oliver Schmitz’s Mapantsula, released in 1988, and Ralph Ziman’s Jerusalema, released twenty years later, lies the history of a country torn apart by systematic racist oppression for half a century. Reborn under the sign of truth and reconciliation, the brave new world carries not only the scars of the old, but has given birth to mutations of poverty, disease, crime and rampant violence. Since the glory days of classic Hollywood, when Cagney, Raft, Robinson and Bogart scowled their way across the screen, the gangster film has been the genre par excellence to engage with these themes of economic inequity and class stratification, and to explore the possibilities of violence both to transform and to destroy.1 The genre emerged as a powerful expression of economic frustration during the Depression, a period that challenged the founding ideals of America as well as the preferred image of American heroic masculinity forged on the frontier. The gangster as self-made man, in search of the pot of gold, has been inscribed into different plots: on the one hand, he (invariably ‘‘he’’) plays the system in order to control it and have the freedom to become legitimate (The Godfather films [1972–1990] are an example). Or he plays the system too recklessly and brings about his own destruction: one thinks of Tony Montana, collapsing into paranoia, snorting a pile of cocaine as bullets rain through his mansion in De Palma’s baroque Scarface (1983). Alternatively, he plays the game too conspicuously, like Frank Lucas in Ridley Scott’s American Gangster (2007): Lucas breaks his rule not to attract attention by his dress, and becomes, literally, a marked man.
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    Authenticity, Commodification of the Self, and Micro-Influencers: An in-depth analysis into the online identity construction of South African micro-influencers within the Western Cape
    (2022) Bull, Joshua; Chuma, Wallace; Irwin, Ron
    The aim of this paper was to engage with the ways in which micro-influencers within the Western Cape construct their online identities on Instagram. Theories of critical political economy of the media, self-branding, and the commodification of the self were applied to the context of micro-influencer identity construction as a means of understanding the mediated relationships between influencers, the brands they collaborate with, the platform Instagram, and the ways in which these relationships effect the construction of their online identities. This study made use of individual interviews with micro-influencers, as well as a micro-influencer focus group session in order uncover the main themes in relation to the influencers' perceptions of their online activity. A qualitative content analysis was also performed on content posted by the sample of micro-influencers that coded for the influencers' uses of platform affordances, photographic content, and their identity construction within their images based on concepts of gender representation in the media by Goffman (1979) and Gill (2000). Central to the micro-influencers' notions of success on the platform, and their perceptions of processes of identity construction, was the concept of authenticity. However, the authenticity referenced by the influencers, focused more on processes of fostering the perception of authenticity within the minds of their audience towards the self they perform online, as opposed to acting in accordance with one's true self. It was also found that their performative online identities were predicated on processes of the commodification of the self. In this sense, the construction of the influencers' profiles was dictated by processes of the commodification of the self, and the influencers understanding of how to create the perception of authenticity within the minds of their followers towards their online self.
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    Barack Obama's rise to power : reinventing political campaigns
    (2009) Araujo-Quintero, Carolina
    This research paper uses content analysis to analyse the subtext of Obama's campaign messages and virtual ethnography to analyse the way that information technology was used to further his campaign's goals. The findings suggest that while historic forces, such as economic turbulence and the unpopularity of outgoing President George W Bush, helped propel Obama to power, his campaign was nonetheless revolutionary. It will be argued that it contained several elements of trail blazing innovation that are likely to redefine political communications in the U.S and globally.
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    Bayasibulala: #AmINext? an analysis of Instagram as a tool for activism against Sexual Gender-Based Violence in South Africa
    (2022) Mazana, Nandipha Nwabisa; Ndlovu, Musawenkosi
    Research over the years has shown that there is a global rise in hashtag activism, this type of activism has also inspired what scholars call - hashtag feminism. Hashtag feminism utilizes Social Networking Sites to raise awareness about issues that are often not covered in traditional news media outlets such as TV, newspapers, and Radio Stations. Through this paper, I seek to investigate how Instagram has become one of the Social Networking Sites that has recently started being used for online activism in South Africa. This is done by conducting a qualitative analysis of 700 posts from the hashtag #AmINext, with a period focus of 3 months during South Africa's COVID-19 Level-5 Lockdown. The findings suggest that activists follow similar lines of the hashtag and social media activism parameters such as those of the #MeToo and #BeenRapedNeverReported movements. The analysis found that activists use Instagram to participate in Citizen Journalism by sharing information, raising awareness, organizing, mobilizing, and advocating (Vegh, 2003). Furthermore, there is clear Civic Engagement and Citizen Journalism through things such as sharing information and having calls to action while utilizing hashtags as a way to gain momentum and attention. The findings suggest that these hashtags are able to cultivate a community of activists all around the country while also making sure to encourage more participation. The analysis also shows how there is an importance of such activism when movement is restricted due to national Lockdowns implemented to curb COVID-19, as many victims of SGBV found themselves at home and trapped with their abusers. In paying attention to this analysis, I conclude that perhaps through the exploration of new ways of activism, we can ensure that no voice is ever left behind. Furthermore, despite the possibilities of these new ways of raising awareness and activism, it is always important to see how we can apply the old with the new.
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    Becoming
    (2020) Reynolds, Kimberly M; Chuma, Wallace
    This thesis project accompanies the 2019 photographic portraiture series entitled Becoming. Using James Baldwin, Audre Lorde and Zora Neale Hurston as departure points, both the photo series and this academic explanative seeks to explore the question of what does it mean to become? Or in other words, what is the imperative to be who you are, to actualize within a space that demonstrates a regular investment in the destruction of bodies that are Black and queer. Through a set of five individual interviews, the questions of what does it mean to be who you are? why is it important? how do you become through your creative work? serve to create space for knowledge production, combatting what Spivak dubs as epistemic violence. Guided by the principles of post colonial life writing, African and Black feminist thought, Black queer theory, and art as an emancipatory tool, this thesis centers voices often theorized about yet rarely heard and argues that creative work more broadly offers a path for liberation. The published work of Becoming, both the photographs and interviews, can be found at http://www.becomingphotoseries.com/ and fulfils the creative media aspect of this dissertation/creative project.
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    Begging for change: engaging with Johannesburg in post-apartheid South African film
    (2012) Herman, Daniel David; Rijsdijk, Ian-Malcolm
    The city of Johannesburg is globally identified with issues of inequality, prejudice and transformation. This identification is reinforced by the city's representation in film, in particular those of the post-apartheid era, which tend to emphasize the city's problems. The transformative power of living in Johannesburg, in particular how this experience impacts and shifts the personalities and experiences of the city's inhabitants, is often ignored. This thesis sets out to explore and analyse the consequences of engagement with Johannesburg by exploring the impact of the city on the protagonists in four post-apartheid Johannesburg films. The films that will be analysed - Jump the Gun (1996), Hijack Stories (2000), Tsotsi (2005), and District 9 (2009) - portray life in post-apartheid Johannesburg. These films were chosen because they have narratives that illustrate character transformation through exposure to the city of Johannesburg. The decision to focus on films that depict this era is deliberate, and I have done this in order to identify a new way of living in Johannesburg that is unique to this time period. In addition, the spread of years highlights how the experience of living in Johannesburg has changed over time.