'Rainbow nation' or 'Rambo nation'? : a comparative literary analysis of thematic changes in pre- and post- 1994 Black township novels.

[摘要] Through content analysis of Ezekiel Mphahlele's Down Second Avenue,Modikwe Dikobe's The Marabi Dance, Zakes Mda's The Madonna of Excelsior,and Niq Mhlongo's After Tears, this study compares the themes of pre- and post-1994 South African township novels using a post-colonial theoretical frameworkto determine how the tradition of Black protest literature has changed since theformal ending of Apartheid in 1994. The study finds that the pre-1994 Blackwriting tradition of critiquing poverty, corruption, and sexism is continued by Blackwriters in the post-1994 era. Thus, the findings in this study reveal that SouthAfrica's title of "Rainbow Nation," while projecting South Africa as raciallyprogressive, neglects the other forms of oppression in the country that Blackwriters continue to discuss in their works. The Black South African novels of post-1994 also refute the "Rambo Nation" title, with the authors refusing to romanticizethe Apartheid struggle.

[发布机构] University:University of Louisville;Department:Pan-African Studies

[效力级别] Post colonial

[关键词] South Africa;Post colonial;Literature;Apartheid;Africa;South African literature