The relationship between art and human rights in post-apartheid South Africa

Abstract

The dissertation studies the relationship between art and human rights in post-apartheid South Africa. The conducted research reveals the role that art plays towards the human rights in the new South African nation emerging from the oppressive regime of apartheid. In some cases, post-apartheid South African art plays a positive role towards the human rights mission. These cases include highlighting the sexist-racist oppression that black women experienced during apartheid and engaging in the transitional justice of South Africa from apartheid to democracy. In other cases, post-apartheid South African artists play a negative role towards human rights by adopting gender-stereotypical portrayals of black women that reinforce discriminatory practices, by engaging in obscene art that infringes children’s rights, or by engaging in racist hate art. Furthermore, the dissertation showed how certain human rights pertaining to the status of artists such as copyright and freedom of artistic expression influence artistic creations in post-apartheid South Africa. By illustrating how both art and human rights affect each other in post-apartheid South Africa, the existence of a relationship between them becomes indisputable.