Popular culture, discourse and divergent identities: reconstructing South Africa as an African state

Abstract

How do state elites discursively popularize official representations of world politics and the state's location within it? If the broad public holds contrasting, or at least more sceptical, views, how can these gradually be supplanted or even ultimately obfuscated? Drawing on the role of narratives, this article underlines the significance of popular culture in relation to the construction of national identity. Reviewing a series of events in the realm of major sports events and celebrity achievements, I illustrate the way in which state elites appropriate these ‘spectacles’ to reconstruct South Africa's African identity (despite a considerable degree of ambivalence amongst the broad public). However, central to this process of recreation stands a narrative of exceptionalism that becomes instrumental to not only instil national pride but also sustain a discourse of South Africa being the exemplar of African modernity.

Keywords:

• state/national identity
• popular culture
• celebrity
• sports events
• South Africa in Africa

Notes

1. This is a considerably revised version of a paper initially delivered at the Globalization Studies Network, Second International Conference, sponsored by Codesria, Dakar, Senegal, 29–31 August 2005. I am indebted to Norbert Kersting, Albert Grundlingh and especially Justin van der Merwe and Scarlett Cornelissen for insightful comments on an earlier draft.

2. See Marshall (1997), Rojek (2001) and Turner (2004) for particularly theoretically informed analyses; Andrews and Jackson (2001) and Smart (2005) specifically for sports stars as celebrities and, for South Africa, Bolsman and Parker (2007).

3. Besides the obvious icons such as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, former national soccer team champion Lucas Radebe ranked second behind Mandela, and world boxing champion Baby Jake Matlala ranked in the top five, ahead of president Thabo Mbeki who ranked sixth. Overall, a range of celebrities well outranked a number of political heavyweights. Celebrities like Steve Hofmeyer, Danny K, Zola and Yvonne Chaka Chaka (all singers), Gary Player and Ernie Els (both golfers), Natalie du Toit and Roland Schoeman (both swimmers) ranked ahead the likes of Helen Suzman (veteran anti‐apartheid activist), Zackie Achmat (AIDS activist), Tony Leon (then leader of the official opposition) and opposition party leaders Patricia de Lille, Mangusuthu Buthelezi and Blade Nzimande. The poll, conducted by the Reader's Digest (and published in its February 2007 issue), was conducted by A.C. Nielsen; www.news24.com, 29 January 2007.