Animating a South African identity? The case of Urbo: The Adventures of Pax Afrika (SABC 2006–2009)

ABSTRACT

This article considers the case of a locally produced South African television animation series. The construction and representation of the identities of the teenage central characters are especially important due to their potential impact on the intended audience, namely, children. The thematic analysis of the series integrates Wells’ (1998, 2002) theories on animation with theories of identity as defined by Jenkins (2008) and Hall, Evans and Nixon (2013). The article uses selected examples to illustrate identified themes and focuses on how successfully animation specific techniques and aesthetics are employed to construct representations of race and ethnicity. The article concludes that those aspects unique to animation, namely its transformative nature, are not fully utilised to subvert existing ethnic stereotypes.

Keywords:

• animation
• identity
• television
• representation
• stereotypes