Black diamonds and excess in the fictional and lived South African city of the early 2000s

Abstract

The article examines a selection of South African literary and media depictions of the black diamonds, a class of recently wealthy blacks; mostly an urban phenomenon, known for their obsession with the ostentatious expression of wealth. The discussion juxtaposes Zakes Mda’s Black Diamond (2009. Johannesburg: Penguin Books) with selected media narratives about the well-known black South African businessman and socialite Kenny Kunene, who is known for his flamboyant parties at his clubs and mansion, to determine the nature of the lived and imagined South African city of the early 2000s. The article draws on notions of conspicuous consumption, and other cultural geographic perspectives, especially Sarah Nuttall’s ideas on entanglement (2009. Entanglement: Literary and cultural reflections on post-apartheid. Johannesburg: Wits University Press). The daily lives of the black diamonds are considered in relation to their history, spatial experiences and aspirations.

Key words:

• black diamonds
• black middle class
• conspicuous consumption
• fictional narratives
• identities
• media narratives
• the South African city
• the early 2000s

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Irikidzayi Manase

IRIKIDZAYI MANASE teaches in the Department of English at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein. His research interests are Southern African spaces and cultures. His most recent journal articles are on Johannesburg township experiences, Limpopo urban youth culture,dance and land in Zimbabwe,and regional and transnational migration. His book, arising from the ACLS Africa Humanities Programme fellowship, titled, White Narratives:The depiction of post-2000 land invasions in Zimbabwe, is in press with Unisa Press.