Politicizing Disability through Arts and Culture - An interview with Mandla Mabila
By Shelley Barry, Office on the Status of Disabled Persons, South Africa
Mandla Mabila is a visual artist causing a stir in the South African arts scene with his provocative and powerful artwork. He is currently researching images of disability in art at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He believes that practicing artists with disabilities have the responsibility and opportunity to "politicize" and "problematize" issues around disability. Basic to his philosophy is that without changing negative attitudes and representation of people with disabilities, we will not achieve much in the advancement of the rights struggle for people with disabilities.
I spoke to him about his life as an artist and the role he sees for himself as an artist with a disability.
Shelley: When did you first consider yourself to be an artist?
Mandla: I started making artwork at the age of ten when I went to primary school in Tzaneen. Of course I didn't know it was art back then, just something I enjoyed doing. We didn't do art as a school subject either. But we had an English teacher, Mrs. Bezuidenhoud, who invited a couple of us to do murals on weekends, all over the school. It was fun. I thought I was going to be a lawyer, like my father, who was in exile. The thought of being an artist was never there. It was only when I got to high school and where I was encouraged by my teacher to take up art beyond matric (graduation), which I did, and here I am. Of course I was romantic about what all of this entails. I have had a rude awakening, as it were.
Shelley: What kind of work do you do in the arts?
Mandla: My work in the arts started in the streets, not the painting studio. My great project is to bring up issues of disability at every opportunity. I was involved on the university campus in campaigns for better access for wheelchair users for the past 10 years and have done a lot of work in this regard. My paintings are a continuation of this work. Through my work I aim to challenge stereotypes but to also 'insert' experiences of disability in the mainstream art and cultural landscape of South Africa.
I believe that the absence of positive images of people with disabilities in the mainstream "art world" and the media, is a direct reflection of prevailing attitudes towards disability within our society at large. Like racism, prejudice towards people with disabilities was learned over many years of socialization. " Different" or "other" people are seen to pose religious, moral, political and economic problems to society.
Shelley: What have your experiences been as an artist with a disability?
Mandla: I have been lucky enough to work and exhibit with both disabled and non-disabled artists, thus having the best of both worlds. But funding for projects has been difficult although I do not think that this is a disability-related problem per se. It is also true though that disability related projects have not always been funded by funding organizations in South Africa and I personally had to abandon some of my work. Some art galleries and museums are not accessible to disabled people. Much worse than this is their refusal to change. The time has come where mainstream arts and culture should now become accessible to disabled artists.
Shelley: What do you consider as the role of arts and culture?
Mandla: The role of arts and culture is an important one in South Africa not only for self expression of experiences of disability but as a way of entrenching our experiences as people with disabilities and saying that we count. The role that disabled art and cultural practitioners are playing in the art scene in South Africa is minimal. It is only when this is run by people with disabilities that it will start to be truly representative of our experiences as disabled people. There is a disability culture emerging in South Africa right now and it is coming out with new images of disability - images of strength, beauty and pride. This culture needs to be nurtured and safeguarded.
Shelley: What are the opportunities for employment for artists/cultural practitioners?
Mandla: In theory the employment opportunities for disabled artists should be excellent but of course the reality is different.
This is my experience currently. Part of the problem is that disabled artists are not the initiators and are not in key positions in arts and culture institutions at the moment.
Shelley: What do you consider as your most important work?
Mandla: My most important work currently is my research. My research looks at the representation of disability in visual arts in South Africa. I could have finished it in style by saying that there is no representation - in one line. The little representation I found is often unbalanced and is based on assumptions made by the able-bodied. In this research I also look at my own work to see how I have represented myself and what the implications are of this representation.
Shelley: How do you think culture influences perceptions of disability?
Mandla: Most of us disabled or not, are influenced within culture to react in certain ways to certain situations or people. For example young children will be socialized into believing that it is rude to stare at somebody who uses crutches or who uses a wheelchair. Cultures reward conformity to a norm. For example being able to walk on two legs is culturally acceptable but crawling on hands and knees is not. Are the two people not doing the same thing - going somewhere? I believe that even negative attitudes toward disability are learned processes in the name of culture. It is precisely in culture that the processes can be undone and stereotypes unlearned. At the National Conference on Witchcraft Violence held in September 1998, a delegate told a story of a woman who gave birth to a disabled baby. " The child had one arm. She (mother) was immediately told that she gave birth to a witch. She had to dig a grave, and jump over it while she threw the child into it. The family then burnt the child, and threw the ashes in the grave." (Conference Report 1998:27) There are countless reports such as this one and even worse ones. The story is important in that it is a direct reflection of some of the prevailing attitudes.
Shelley: Your work refers to art as being a weapon and a tool. Could you elaborate?
Mandla: Art is crucial in raising awareness about human rights of disabled people. This is important because it cuts across the boundaries of literacy or illiteracy. Given the high levels of illiteracy in South Africa, there can be no excuse. Art is a political tool in that when disabled people represent themselves they are going against the tradition of being represented by others. The political power is in determining not only who we are but who we can be on our own terms and art provides this possibility. Much more than this, art is a tool for celebrating our lives and taking pride in ourselves. Self-representation itself is a human right.
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