Unintended Artistic Research on Memory, Masculinity, and African Beauty: The Case of Serurubele
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Date
2020-07
Authors
Shoro, Katleho Kano
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Arts Research Africa, The Wits School of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand
Abstract
What does it mean to re-evaluate ideas of beauty in Africa? Using performance as a research methodology and the idea of serurubele (“butterfly” in Sesotho and Setswana) as a heuristic device, this performance-lecture explored the value that critically engaging with people’s relationships with butterflies, butterfly-games, songs, and memories holds in the context of decolonial, African-centred scholarship. Could interrogating the idea of butterflies, as well as the tenderness that comes with black African men’s memories of butterflies, offer a more nuanced perspective of black masculinity and gender identity?
Description
What does it mean to re-evaluate ideas of beauty in Africa? Using performance as a research methodology and the idea of serurubele (“butterfly” in Sesotho and Setswana) as a heuristic device, this performance-lecture explored the value that critically engaging with people’s relationships with butterflies, butterfly-games, songs, and memories holds in the context of decolonial, African-centred scholarship. Could interrogating the idea of butterflies, as well as the tenderness that comes with black African men’s memories of butterflies, offer a more nuanced perspective of black masculinity and gender identity?
Keywords
artistic research, arts research, decolonisation, arts pedagogy,
Citation
What does it mean to re-evaluate ideas of beauty in Africa? Using performance as a research methodology and the idea of serurubele (“butterfly” in Sesotho and Setswana) as a heuristic device, this performance-lecture explored the value that critically engaging with people’s relationships with butterflies, butterfly-games, songs, and memories holds in the context of decolonial, African-centred scholarship. Could interrogating the idea of butterflies, as well as the tenderness that comes with black African men’s memories of butterflies, offer a more nuanced perspective of black masculinity and gender identity?