In our commitment to preserving and presenting South Africa’s artistic heritage, the SABC Art Collection recognises that certain artworks in this collection were produced in historical periods shaped by intersecting apartheid and colonialism. As such, some titles and descriptions may reflect the biases, prejudices and perspectives that were prevalent during those times. These titles are retained to respect the integrity of the original artworks and the contexts in which they were created, offering a fuller understanding of the complexities in our collective history.

We acknowledge that such language may be harmful or offensive today and are committed to addressing these issues thoughtfully. Where possible, additional context is provided to help viewers engage with these works critically and respectfully, fostering conversations around South Africa’s past, its ongoing impact, and the pursuit of a more inclusive future. This is work in progress.

In the context of colonialism and apartheid, for example, the term ‘native’ was far from neutral. It did not simply mean ‘a local inhabitant’ or ‘a person born in a specified place or associated with a place by birth, whether subsequently resident there or not’. Although it was used widely with an air of neutrality and acceptability, the word referred to ‘a non-white original inhabitant of the country, as regarded by European colonists or travellers’ and had a demeaning undertone.

Similarly, it was common for white South Africans to refer to black men and women as ‘boy’ or ‘girl’, infantilising them and imparting an attitude of dominion and superiority.

When titling portraits of people of colour, white South African artists during the colonial and apartheid eras frequently used ethnic descriptors rather than referring to people by their names (as they would do when titling portraits of white subjects), reflecting a prejudicial tendency towards thinking of people in terms of their designated group identity rather than as individuals with lives, thoughts and feelings of their own.