Scattered across the whole of southern Africa, impressive North Korean monuments celebrate the rise of young, independent African nations. In an extraordinary fashion, these constructions merge...Show moreScattered across the whole of southern Africa, impressive North Korean monuments celebrate the rise of young, independent African nations. In an extraordinary fashion, these constructions merge typical North Korean socialist realism with African nationalism. The research question of this thesis is why the regimes of Namibia and Zimbabwe use the services of the North Korean firm Mansudae Overseas Projects to construct their National Heroes’ Acres. This phenomenon can be explained through the historical connections that existed between the southern African liberation movements and the DPRK, that have been fostered since the 1960s. The DPRK funded southern African liberation movements during their struggle for independence and thereby strengthened their ideas on post-colonial history writing. It will be argued that the Heroes’ Acres can be understood as potent symbols of nationalist history, used to legitimize the rule of the former liberation movements and inspired by the example that the DPRK has set for their African allies.Show less
Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
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This master thesis explores expressions of identity among gay men in Cape Town, South Africa by analysing and discussing vestimentary codes and issues around gender and identity. Four chapters...Show moreThis master thesis explores expressions of identity among gay men in Cape Town, South Africa by analysing and discussing vestimentary codes and issues around gender and identity. Four chapters focusing on various aspects of gay social life in Cape Town; The ‘gay-village’ of De Waterkant, the annual celebration of LGBTQI Pride, the yearly costume party MCQP (Mother City Queer Project) and the more obscure ‘Gat Parties’ of the northern suburbs of Cape Town, paints a picture of gay life in Cape Town, both contemporary and historically. Theoretical influences such as Roland Barthes, Judith Butler and Anne Fausto-Sterling alongside writers on gay lives in South Africa such as Mark Gevisser and Bradley M. Rink provide a strong backbone to this thesis, while questions surrounding gender, sexuality and identity are always at the forefront.Show less
