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Writing the Border: Avoiding Restorative Nostalgia by Using Social Media Discourses to Create a Borderdrama

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Writing the Border: Avoiding Restorative Nostalgia by Using Social Media Discourses to Create a Borderdrama Writing the Border: avoiding restorative nostalgia by using social media discourses to create a Borderdrama by Maria Adriana (Marina) Albertyn Dissertation presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Drama Department at Stellenbosch University Supervisors: Prof. M. Kruger & Prof. P. du Preez December 2019 i Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Declaration By submitting this work electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own, original work, that I am the authorship owner thereof (unless to the extent explicitly otherwise stated), that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification and that reproduction and publication thereof by Stellenbosch University will not infringe on any third party rights. Date: 1 August 2019 ii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Abstract A number of plays have been staged about the South African Border War. Some of these plays have been uncritical in their representation of the war and have promoted a kind of restorative nostalgia that glosses over the SADF’s share in a shameful past. In staging the Border War, the playwright has to portray perpetrator trauma in a way that engages the audience to critically examine the past. This study uses the arts-based research framework to create a play that reflects the research done on Border War veterans. The study firstly identifies thematic material in South African plays about the Border War in an overview of the lineage of practice. It then examines social media discourses on the Border war to generate thematic material for the creation of a new play. The drama that was created from this research, is called Bloed en Bodem. Reviews from the performance of this drama at two national arts festivals are primarily used to assess the play as an example of research-led practice. The study’s primary conclusion is that complexity and binary voices can be an antidote to restorative nostalgia. By including voices that both contradict and expose the veteran’s views of the past, the master narrative of conscription is destablized and opportunities for responsible meaning-making emerge. iii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Opsomming ’n Aantal dramas oor die Suid-Afrikaanse Grensoorlog is al op die planke gebring. Sekere van hierdie dramas is onkrities in hul uitbeelding van die oorlog en ontaard in ‘n sort restouratiewe nostalgie wat lig maak van die rol wat die SAW gespeel het in die ongeregtighede van die verlede. Wanneer ’n drama oor die Grensoorlog op die planke gebring word moet die dramaturg dadertrauma uitbeeld op ’n manier wat die gehoor betrek by ’n kritiese ondersoek van die verlede. Dié studie maak gebruik van die Kunsgebasseerde navorsingsraamwerk om ’n drama te skep wat die navorsing oor grensoorlogveterane reflekteer. Die studie identifiseer eerstens tematiese materiaal in Suid-Afrikaanse dramas wat geskryf is oor die Grensoorlog in ’n praktykoorsig. Sosiale media diskoerse oor die Grensoorlog word dan ondersoek om tematiese materiaal te genereer vir ’n nuwe drama. Die drama wat uit hierdie navorsing ontaard het is Bloed en Bodem. Resensies van die opvoering van Bloed en Bodem by twee nasionale kunstefeeste word hoofsaaklik gebruik om die drama te evalueer as ’n voorbeeld van navorsing-geleide praktyk. Die studie se primêre gevolgtrekking is dat kompleksiteit en binêre stemme gebruik moet word as teenmiddel vir restouritatiewe nostalgie. Hierdie stemme kan ingespan word om die veteraan se siening van die verlede bloot te lê of teë te gaan. Die meester narratief van die dienspligtige word sodoende gedestabiliseer en die moontlikheid van ‘n verantwoordelike sinmaak-proses van ‘n komplekse verlede ontstaan. iv Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Dedication I would like to dedicate this thesis to my father (who did not fight on the Border). He taught me to think critically and not to settle for simple answers. He has given me an education both in life and on paper. I am proud to be your daughter and I am immensely grateful for your sacrifices. Acknowledgements: • My supervisors, Prof. Kruger and Prof. du Preez who took this long lonely journey with me. Prof. Kruger, thanks for the swift replies – you read like a machine. Prof. du Preez, thank you for your patience and guidance, especially with helping me to structure the theoretical aspects of the study. • The Festival directors who made this show happen: Alexa Strachen of Aardklop and Hugo Theart of the KKNK. • A special acknowledgement to the members of AK21 for making Bloed en Bodem possible through their generous donations and continued support of my work. I would like to thank: • The cast of Bloed en Bodem for their amazing performances and for being willing to engage with difficult subject matter. • Danél Hanekom and Dr Nicol Stassen of Proteaboekhuis who published the play so that it may reach a wider audience. • Chris Pienaar who produced the show and who is my friend. • Marthinus Basson who directed Bloed en Bodem and who played a major part in helping to guide my thinking about the topic. Jy is my hart. To all my friends and family: • Thank you for having supported me and asking me how my thesis was going even if that meant risking injury. • Thanks to my in-laws who love and support us. • Thanks to my mom for praying for me every day. I hope I turn out like you. • Thanks to my husband, Milan. None of this makes sense without you. I always wanted to expand my mind. You have expanded my heart. Thank you. v Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za List of abbreviations ANC African National Congress APA American Psychiatric Association CBT Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CML Computer Mediated Language ECC End Conscription Campaign FB Facebook MK Mkhonto Wesizwe MMC Mighty Men Conference MOTH Memorable Order of Tin Hats NP National Party PTSD Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome SADF South African Defense Force SANDF South African National Defence Force SIG Special Interest Groups SWAPO South West Africa People’s Organization TRC Truth and Reconciliation Commission VVnW Veterans of the Vietnam War vi Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Table of Contents Declaration ii Abstract iii Opsomming iv Acknowledgements v List of abbreviations vi Table of Contents vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Staging the Border War: From Protest to Remembrance 3 1.2 Personal Motivation 5 1.3 Problem Statement 6 1.4 Research Inquiry 7 1.5 Research Design 9 1.5.1 Arts-based research methodology 9 1.5.2 Research-based practice and practice-based research 10 1.5.3 Research model: Smith and Dean’s Iterative cyclic web 11 1.5.4 Additional Methodologies 14 1.6 Chapter Layout 15 1.6.1 Chapter 1: Introduction 15 1.6.2 Chapter 2: Trauma and the Border War 16 1.6.3 Chapter 3: An Overview and thematic analysis of Border dramas 16 1.6.4 Chapter 4: An analysis of social media discourses surrounding the Border War 17 1.6.5 Chapter 5: Performing the Border: A new play 17 1.6.6 Chapter 6: A reflective conclusion and suggestions for further inquiry 18 vii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za CHAPTER 2 TRAUMA AND THE BORDER WAR 2.1 Introduction 20 2.2 Trauma 20 2.2.1 A short overview of the Study of Trauma 20 2.2.2 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 22 2.2.3 Introduction to Trauma Theory 23 2.2.4 Collective and Cultural Trauma 24 2.2.5 Intergenerational Trauma 25 2.2.6 Questioning Trauma 28 2.2.7 Perpetrator Trauma 30 2.2.8 Trauma and Memory 31 2.3 Performance 2.3.1 Performing Trauma 32 2.3.2 Performing History 33 2.3.3 Performing Memory 34 2.3.4 Performing Restorative Nostalgia 35 2.3.5 Performing Postcolonial Theatre 37 2.4 The Border War 39 2.5 Towards a Master Narrative of Conscription 43 2.6 Trauma and the Border War 45 2.7 Conclusion 50 CHAPTER 3 AN OVERVIEW AND THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF BORDER DRAMAS 3.1 Introduction 52 3.2 Introduction to Border Literature (Grensliteratuur) and Border Dramas 52 3.2.1 Border dramas 54 3.3 Border Drama as Protest Theatre 56 3.3.1 Môre is ’n lang dag (Opperman 1986) 56 viii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za 3.3.2 Die Spinner (Leach 1985) 61 3.3.3 Somewhere on the border (Akerman 2001) 64 3.4 Border Drama as Performances of Memory 68 3.4.1 White men with weapons (Coetzee 2001) and Johnny Boskak is feeling 68 funny (Coetzee 2009) 3.4.2 Boetman is die bliksem in! (Fourie 2017) 71 3.4.3 Soldier Boy (Kobus Moolman 2007) 73 3.4.4 Johnny is nie dood nie (Steyn 2011) 74 3.4.5 Bos (Steyn 2012) 76 3.4.6 Tree aan! (Opperman 2012) 78 3.4.7 Moffie (2012) 79 3.5 Thematic commonalities in Border Dramas 83 A: A generational gap 84 B: Fathers and sons 88 C: Forgotten, Angry, Confused and Endangered (FACE) 91 D: The female perspective 97 E: Homosexuality on the Border 106 F: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 109 3.6 Conclusion 117 CHAPTER 4 AN ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL MEDIA DISCOURSES SURROUNDING THE BORDER WAR 4.1 Introduction 119 4.2 Qualitative e-research and Social media discourse Analysis 121 4.3 (Media)ting Memory on Social Media 124 4.3 1 The Facebook group: “GRENSOORLOG / Border War 1966–1989” 126 4.4 Themes found in online discourses surrounding the Border War 127 4.4.1 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 129 4.4.2 When things were better 142 4.4.3 Questioning fathers 145 ix Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za 4.4.3.1 Questions 146 4.4.3.2 Commemoration 149 4.4.3.3 Honour 150 4.4.4 Remembrance 153 4.4.5 A call to arms 154 4.4.6 Mighty Men 157 4.5 Conclusion 165 CHAPTER 5 PERFORMING THE BORDER: A NEW PLAY 5.1 Introduction 168 5.2 Plot and characters 168 5.3 Title: Bloed en Bodem 170 5.4 Setting the Play 170 5.5 Themes 178 5.6 Critical Reactions to the New Play 195 5.7 Conclusion 198 CHAPTER 6 A REFLECTIVE CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER ENQUIRY 6.1 Introduction 200 6.2 A Self-assessment 201 6.3 A Reflective Conclusion 204 6.4 Suggestions for Further Inquiry 212 Reference List 213 Addendum A: Bloed en Bodem 226 x Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The educated man seeks only as much precision as the subject matter will admit.
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