Work

To Be Undisappeared: The Art(s) of Violent Outbursts Against African Migrants in South Africa

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: African migrants arriving in South Africa are finding themselves fighting a war on two fronts: the one they fled from and the one they are arriving to. As a collection of five individual narratives, this research goes behind the paintings, performances, and poetry to understand how not only migration and xenophobia, but also lives are embodied and negotiated through creative mediums, and how these creative mediums should also be emphasised as important epistemologies. Here, a journey will be taken through understanding xenophobia and otherness through the lens of language, and will look at how the arts, as a form of language, offer an alternative space and way of communicating in a space that discriminates based on communication (or lack thereof). Accordingly, the research further investigates (self-)representation from the individual and community, how public displays of pain are really felt by the artists sharing their vulnerability, and also how creative practices create a space to negotiate between the complexities of ‘home’ and the violent state of xenophobia arrived to in and beyond South Africa. Consequently, the study explores how trauma and experiences are not always visible on the body, but are carried through the mind, spirit, and generations that come later.

Source: Arts

DOI: 10.3390/arts15050109

Author: Gabriela Anderson

Institution: International Institute of Social Studies

Language: English

Topic: Migration and Exile Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,689