The 'Southern African Empire'
Southern Africa has become known as a type of modern empire, with South Africa exerting its socioeconomic influence on surrounding countries. Evidence of imperial outreach through visual communication routes by South Africa would provide added evidence of this new so-called empire. The EU-funded VISUALEMPIRES project is investigating such visual evidence, with a specific focus on spatial features and visual representations in Namibia and South Africa. The project emphasises visual clues around three major 'empire indicators': roads and railways, the built environment, and fences and borders. VISUALEMPIRES has investigated large archives of photographs and posters at various Namibian and South African universities, libraries and museums. Researchers also examined private collections and conducted interviews in parts of Namibia and in South Africa's Eastern Cape province. Furthermore, the project has hosted several workshops, courses, seminars and conferences to disseminate its findings. Future dissemination activities will include travelling and static exhibitions in Europe and Southern Africa.The work of VISUALEMPIRES is contributing to a paradigm shift in the concept of Southern Africa as an empire.
