Tears of the rainbow: mourning in South African culture

Abstract

This study of intricate post-apartheid mourning traditions in South Africa melds or draws from print, visual and material cultural texts. The black mourning tradition is the quixotic post- funeral after tears party that is becoming increasingly popular in black urban townships, while for whites it is mediated through parodic visual artworks. This study highlights the dialogue between these two mourning traditions. The subaltern disenchantment with a political status quo that they feel is out of sync with their aspirations, manifests itself in mourning traditions that find expression in bizarre social and political behaviour – behaviour that confounds orthodoxy, but will be shown to be a very practical response to the exigencies of a quite often treacherous political terrain. One provocative insight of this study is that the quixotic mourning behaviour of the masses accounts for Jacob Zuma’s rise to power. This might suggest that the same mind-boggling dynamics may catapult Julius Malema into power.

Keywords:

• gangster
• mourning
• post-apartheid
• urban township
• visual
• Zuma

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Francis Lukhele

Dr. Francis Lukhele is affiliated to the University of Swaziland. [email protected]