Whose War, Whose Enemy? Gerard Bhengu’s War Imagery in Context

The histories of all South Africans are intertwined in an intricate web of expectations, ideals and perceptions—many often in conflict with those of others. It was, however, when South Africans of diverse persuasions and ethnicities were called to arms in the first and second Word Wars, in the interest of what was presented as being of significance both nationally and internationally, that attempts were made to galvanise loyalties, patriotism and national ideals—even across racial divides. For a time, therefore, recent and past histories of colonial oppression were shelved but not without negotiated promises of better prospects for all after the war. The role of black South Africans as part of the allied presence in World War II has been largely neglected. Pioneer local artist Gerard Bhengu’s murals give an account of the idealism and recruitment ploys associated with enlistment of Zulus in World War II, and they reflect significant dimensions on the context that they relate, including the perspectives of the artist and those of his peers. It is this questioning of the meanings and references in the murals that is the focus of this paper

Aesthetics · Art · Colonialism · Context (archaeology) · Epistemology · Idealism · Oppression · Patriotism · Political science · Politics · Racism · Sociology · African history and culture studies · Gender Studies · History · Law · Philosophy · South African History and Culture

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