Dumile Feni  (b. 1942, Worcester, South Africa)

Township

ca. 1970, ink on paper, 42 x 59 cm.

Grosvenor Gallery © Dumile Feni Family Trust 2021

This drawing depicts housing that Feni might have seen in Soweto. Even though the scene seems “quiet”, there is an underlying tension, with no people around and darkened windows. Perhaps the houses are boarded up, or they’re empty, their inhabitants long gone. How does the scene make you feel?

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Compared to African Guernica and Railway Accident, Feni’s Township seems calmer, less chaotic. It is rendered in crisp, ruler-straight lines, unlike Feni’s other, more expressionist works. But the perspective has been distorted, making the buildings seem unsettling. The sharp contrast of the shading also contributes to the creepy atmosphere. Furthermore, we see barbed wire fencing peeking from behind the houses.

Townships were established so that a cheap black labour force could live in close(ish) proximity to cities while still being as far away from white suburbs as possible. After the Group Areas Act of 1950, the number of townships that were built exploded, as black and brown South Africans were forced out of their neighbourhoods into townships across South Africa. It remains a unique symbol of the problems facing South Africa after the 1994 democratic elections.