A Critical Analysis of the Iconography of Six Hiv/Aids Murals From
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A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE ICONOGRAPHY OF SIX HIV/AIDS MURALS FROM JOHANNESBURG AND DURBAN, IN TERMS OF RACE, CLASS AND GENDER SHARLENE KHAN A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Arts (Fine Art) – Coursework. Johannesburg, 2006 ABSTRACT This research report is a critical analysis of the iconography of six HIV/Aids murals from Johannesburg and Durban, in terms of race, class and gender. The six examples are community murals which were used as a social awareness tool to disseminate information on HIV/Aids to a supposedly highly illiterate Black audience public. This research focuses predominantly on the issue of stereotypes, and how certain societal stereotypes of Others are manifested in these HIV/Aids murals. My analysis also tries to make evident, how difficult it is for muralists to visually represent HIV/Aids facts, in addressing ‘high-risk’ groups. This report also tries to show that key issues of HIV/Aids transmission are often overlooked or omitted for various reasons. I argue that, given the importance of HIV/Aids murals as educative tools, muralists have to be made aware of their role in the possible perpetuation of societal racial, gender and class stereotypes, and how such perpetuation of stereotypes can contribute to the continued stigmatization of the disease. The final chapter of this research examines my own practical work that was produced as a requirement for the MA (Fine Art) degree. It analyses my performance-exhibition Walking the Line. My commentary focuses on how the social phenomenon of street trade in the Johannesburg city centre and specifically the ‘refurbishment’ of the Johannesburg Fashion District influenced my art practice. My analysis is further extended to the use of my own body in the performance, to consciously engage notions of hybridized identity. KEY WORDS: HIV/Aids, murals, iconography, stereotypes, gender, race, class, street trade, visual art, performance i DECLARATION I declare that this research report is my own unaided work. It is submitted for the degree of Master of Arts in Fine Art by coursework and research report in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It has not been submitted before for any other degree or examination in any other university. _______________________ Sharlene Khan 25th day of April 2007 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS - I would, first and foremost, like to thank my family for their constant support, even if they have no idea what I am studying. A big thank you to my sister, Sharon, and my father for giving of their time, transport and camera equipment to help with photographing of the murals in Durban. A grateful thank you to my other sister, Tracey, for her attempts at tracking down HIV/Aids articles in the Durban library. - Penny Siopis, for her supervision in both the practical and theoretical component; for engaging me in various discussions; and for seeing things in my work, and helping me to see these things as well. - My friends, who have not only provided help in whatever way they could, but more importantly, have provided kind ears during this trying degree. Special thanks go to Drew Pullinger for helping me photograph murals in Johannesburg and Khwezi Gule for helping with translations of Zulu texts. - Warren Parker and Andrew Lindsey for their generous time and knowledge during interviews. - As always, my thanks go to Lallitha Jawahirilal and Sabine Marschall for introducing me to murals and mural studies, and for their continued encouragement in my studies. - And last but not least, the God who I believe in, for giving me the patience and endurance to finish this degree. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS: ABSTRACT i DECLARATION ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS vii GLOSSARY xii INTRODUCTION: 1 - HIV/Aids in South Africa 1 - Community Mural Art in South Africa 4 - Aids-awareness Campaigns 7 1. CHAPTER ONE: 10 Theoretical Framework 10 1.1 Stereotypes and Representation 10 1.2 Feminism: Women as Other 12 1.3 Postcolonial ‘Other’ 14 1.4 Stereotypes and Mass Media 17 1.5 Stereotypes and Stigmatisation 19 1.6. Black Feminist Thought 20 1.6.1 Lived Experience as a Criterion of Knowing 21 1.6.2 The Use of Dialogue in Assessing Knowledge Claims 22 iv 1.6.3 The Ethic of Personal Accountability 23 2. CHAPTER TWO: Representing Race and Class 25 2.1 HIV/Aids Representations of Multiculturalism and Community 26 2.1.1 The New Struggle 27 2.1.2 Community Action 29 2.1.3 ‘Africa’ and HIV/Aids: Politicising and Racialising a Disease 31 2.2 HIV/Aids Representations of Race and Class 34 2.2.1 Counting Numbers 34 2.2.2 Location, Location, Location… 38 2.2.3 ‘High-risk’ and Racial Stereotyping 41 3. CHAPTER THREE: 45 HIV/Aids Representations of Gender and Sexuality 45 3.1 Deconstructing the Visible: Depictions of Women in Caretaker Roles 48 3.1.1 Pathological Mothers, Invisible Fathers 48 3.1.2 Limited Job-Offers: Male Doctors vs. Female Nurses 51 3.1.3 Male Activity vs. Female Passivity: Female Contraception vs. Male Condomisation 53 3.2 Highlighting the Invisible: ‘Structuring Absences’ in HIV/Aids Murals Imagery 54 3.2.1 Sugar Daddies – Economic Powerplay 55 3.2.2 Needle-sharing: An Absence of Drug-Usage 56 3.2.3 Selling Bodies: Ignoring Prostitution 58 3.2.4 Rape and Virginity Responsibility – Females as Guardians of Morality 60 3.2.5 Homosexuality Missing: A Structured Absence? 62 v 4. CHAPTER FOUR: 67 Walking the Line 67 4.1 Exhibition Details 67 4.2 Street Vending as a Subject 70 4.3 Walking The Line 75 4.4 My-story: Viewing Self 76 4.5 Body-talk: Using Self 79 CONCLUSION 88 BIBLIOGRAPHY 97 APPENDIX A: DESCRIPTION OF SELECTED MURALS A1 APPENDIX B: MURAL IMAGES B1 APPENDIX C: WALKING THE LINE IMAGES C1 APPENDIX D: CARTOON D1 vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1. Esselen Street mural - view 1 of mural 2. Esselen Street mural - view 2 of mural 3. Esselen Street mural – view 3 of mural 4. St George Street mural – view 1 of mural 5. St George Street mural – view 2 of mural 6. Alice Street mural – view 1 of mural 7. Alice Street mural – view 2 of mural 8. Alice Street mural – view 3 of mural 9. Alice Street mural - view 4 of mural 10. Sauer Street Mural 11. UDW Aids mural 12. ML Sultan Technikon mural 13. Alice Street mural – detail of discussion between two women and a man. Speech bubbles read, ‘Yini Engenziwa Ukugwema Lesisifo’ (What can be done to avoid this disease); ‘Ucansi Oluphephile’ (Safe Sex); ‘No Condom No Sex!’ 14. Alice Street mural – detail of man and older woman with speech bubble that says, ‘Even unborn babies can get AIDS from their infected mothers’. 15. Alice Street mural – detail of two figures holding each other. Speech bubbles on either side of the figures read, ‘Asiyesabi Neze i-Aids’ (we are not afraid of AIDS at all) and ‘Ngoba Sisebenzisa i-condom’ (because we wear a condom). 16. Esselen Street Mural – detail of man asking older woman, ‘I need help’. Other text on the side of this panel reads, ‘There is help if you need it’. 17. Esselen Street Mural – detail of man and woman talking about using condoms. Man, ‘May we please have sex Susan’. Woman, ‘If you use a condom we can’. Other text reads, ‘Use condom to be safe from AIDS. Condom is the best’ [sic]. 18. St George Street mural – detail of dove, the word ‘peace’ and schematic figures holding hands 19. St George Street mural – detail of a White and Black man building a wall. vii 20. St George Street mural – detail of scroll that reads, ‘humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, universality since 1863’ (the date is somewhat unclear). 21. ML Sultan Technikon mural – detail of white hand giving heart to black hand. 22. Alice Street mural – detail of portraits of 3 women. Between them are the words, ‘Right to say no’ and ‘Aids has no colour’. 23. St George Street mural – detail of various non-naturalistic painted, images of people in black outline. 24. St George Street mural – detail of various non-naturalistic painted, images of faces in black outline. 25. Esselen Street mural – detail of two groups of protestors. Placard on left reads, ‘Aids Kills’, while the banner carried by the group on the right reads, ‘People Unite Against AIDS’. 26. ML Sultan Technikon mural – detail of South African flage with the word , ‘Vuka’ (Rise up) next to it. 27. Alice Street mural – detail of yellow figure holding white flag with picture of condom (painted like a South African flag) on it and the words ‘Viva Condoms’ under it. 28. St George Street mural – detail of a group of schematically-painted protestors. In front of them is a road-like warning sign, with a line running across the word, ‘AIDS’. 29. Alice Street mural - detail of an Aids ribbon with the words, ‘A New Struggle’ to the right of it. 30. Esselen Street mural – detail of two groups of people. The group on the left has a banner that reads, ‘AIDS is very dangerous. A.D. Stop Aids. S.A’ (sic). The group on the right has a banner that reads, ‘Unite against AIDS’. 31. St George Street Mural – detail of four differently coloured people. Each of their garments has a slogan on it that reads (from left to right), ‘Stop Aids’, ‘Aids Kills’, ‘Use a condom. It’s Safer’, ‘Aids Kills’. 32. Alice Street mural – detail of man and woman about to kiss.