Reflecting on the definition and meaning of spaces that have become public

Keywords: public space, South Africa, decolonial turn, statue, toponomy
Abstract Type: Virtual Paper Abstract

Abstract

Although the dawn of democracy in South Africa is readily celebrated both locally and globally, the imprinted baggage of spatial separateness enacted by the Natives Land Act, of 1913 and entrenched by the Group Areas Act of 1950 (during the Apartheid Government) which effectively advanced the politics of exclusion and dehumanization remains a challenge. In line with the country’s 1994’s democratic government, the segregation boundaries collapsed, and ideally, public spaces had to become accessible to all citizens. Despite the ideals enshrined in the country’s Constitution, the traditional definition and meaning of spaces people inhabit (including temporarily), still render the public spaces unwelcoming by their names, and the presence of symbols and inscriptions. These spatial markers have a significant historical link with certain social identities and for those previously excluded, become effectively spaces of conflict. To this end, there is an increasing call for the reconfiguration of public spaces. In line with the decolonial turn, this paper examines ways in which historical spatial markers and representations in the form of inscriptions, statues, and symbols facilitate or hinder epistemic inclusion in places that have become part of the public domain. Informed by both the literature and empirical material emanating from the proceedings of the university of the Free State’s process of reviewing the relevance of the MT Steyn statue in the context of an integrated transformation strategic plan, this paper aims to contribute to the question of where and how is material cultural heritage problematized and how it is contested.