The global, the local and the hybrid in the making of Johannesburg as a world class African city

Abstract

In 2000 the city of Johannesburg adopted the vision of becoming a World Class African City (WCAC). Since then Johannesburg has been energetically promoted in accordance with this vision. The tagline ‘world-class African city’ is now used in the branding of the city. It has become a major signifier on its logo and a notable catchphrase in its radio adverts of its brand. However, the nested opposition of the ‘world-class’ and ‘African’ discourse has not been explicitly defined in the vision beyond their simplistic connection. Many people have found the vision puzzling and some have questioned its claims. This paper explores the conundrum that lies in the nested opposition of the ‘world-class’ and ‘African’ discursive currents. It identifies the ‘global’ and ‘local’ discursive forces (in the country) which were formative in the creation of the vision. It looks at how the intersection of global and African discursive fronts has become leverage for generating hybrid cultural/cosmopolitan identities. The thrust of the paper is that the urban practices and landscapes of post-apartheid Johannesburg are enacted and re-enacted together with the inspiration, signification and/or representation of the city vision.

Keywords:

• World class African city
• local discourse
• global discourse
• global–African imaginary
• cosmopolitan discourse
• Johannesburg

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my colleague Professor Alison Todes and reviewers of this paper who have commented during the process of writing it. The usual disclaimer applies.

Notes

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5. See Seedat and Gotz, “Johannesburg.”

6. City of Johannesburg, “Joburg GDS 2040 Strategy.”

7. Rogerson, “Towards the World Class African City,” 19.

8. Smith, “Johannesburg Rebuked.”

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18. Beall et al., Uniting a Divided City; Parnell, “The Politics of Transformation”; Parnell and Robinson, “Development and Urban Policy”; and Lipietz, “Building a Vision.”

19. See Parnell and Robinson, “Development and Urban Policy”; and Lipietz, “Building a Vision.”

20. Parnell and Robinson, “(Re)theorizing Cities from the Global South,” 599.

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49. Harrison et al., Confronting Fragmentation; and Lipietz, “Building a Vision.”

50. Beall et al., Uniting a Divided City.

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54. Ibid.

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95. Ibid., 408.

96. Ibid.

97. Ibid.

98. Tleane, “Shifting Sands.”

99. Ibid., 9.

100. Ibid.

101. Chang, “Place, Memory and Identity,” 250.

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