Reading rebellion: Hip Hop graffiti art as a public literacy text : The case of mak1one, Cape Town, South Africa
Date
2016-03-02
Authors
Mackay, Taryn Jeanie
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Abstract
Rebellion is expressed in a number of ways. In this paper, I analyse arts of
resistance through a close reading in situ of Hip Hop graffiti art produced by
mak1one while reflecting on the historical construction of the dominant
aesthetics of Cape Town, South Africa in order to highlight how these
artworks can act as tools of public literacy and organised visual dissent for
those adversely affected by colonisation, slavery and the effects of European
conquest. The research paper takes a qualitative exploratory approach. The
method that is utilised is Critical Discourse Analysis, with the sub-method
used to analyse the content of the Hip Hop graffiti art visuals being semiotic
analysis. Five images are analaysed in their location. The main messages
communicated by mak1one in these works are found to be African,
indigenous humanity; political rebellion for freedom; cultural hybridity; and
autonomy. The paper finds it is reasonable to assert that Hip Hop graffiti art
acts as a form of public literacy in Cape Town. The main contribution that this
research makes is to fill the gap in the literature by blending the research
domains of public literacy, arts of resistance and control through aesthetics
with specific reference to Hip Hop graffiti art in Africa.
Description
A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
the University of Witwatersrand’s Masters by Coursework and Research Report in
Journalism studies.
Johannesburg, March 2015