“Speaking so that We are Heard:” A Zulu Comic Book as Women’s Social Action in 1990s South Africa

ABSTRACT

This article explores activism in a 1990s comic produced by a South African women’s activist group. The comic, written in Zulu, attempts to mobilize women through the use of narrative and personal connection (focusing on domestic violence) and teaches about politics and oppression through pictures and stories. Understanding how this comic was designed for a specific audience provides context for producing creative documentation in localized contexts and highlights the complexities of writing within colonial systems.

KEYWORDS:

• Design of communication
• feminist theory
• intercultural communication
• textual analysis
• international communication
• history of technical communication

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Andrea Walker, archivist at Cape Town University, for her patience and support in helping us locate relevant documents.

Special thanks to Mgciniwethu Mabhena for their work in translating comic booklet Breaking Our Silence from Zulu to English.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the CCCC Emergent Researcher Award.

Notes on contributors

Emily January Petersen

Emily January Petersen researches professional identities and organizations from a feminist perspective by examining social media, uncovering archival sources, and conducting interviews. She has done so in the United States, India, South Africa, and Botswana.

Breeanne Matheson is an Assistant Professor at Utah Valley University. She frequently conducts international field research in the Global South. She has pedagogical interests in technical communication and rhetoric through community-centered projects and community action.