For many South Africans the “Bush War”, more commonly known as the South African Border War, is an unfamiliar period in this country’s history.
The war was fought between 1966 and 1989, along the Angolan and Namibian borders.
Even people who were aware that there was a war in progress knew very little about what was going on.
This was due to the remoteness of the war – it was fought on the far borders of South Africa – while the government of that time enforced a highly effective censorship, largely because of its controversial nature.
For many South Africans the “Bush War”, more commonly known as the South African Border War, is an unfamiliar period in this country’s history.
The war was fought between 1966 and 1989, along the Angolan and Namibian borders.
Even people who were aware that there was a war in progress knew very little about what was going on.
This was due to the remoteness of the war – it was fought on the far borders of South Africa – while the government of that time enforced a highly effective censorship, largely because of its controversial nature.
Against this background an exhibition entitled "Bos", at the Albany Museum for just one night this week, would have been enlightening for many. Assembled by Christo Doherty, Head of Digital Art at the Wits School of Art, the exhibition consisted of reconstructed images of the Bush War.
Doherty used photographs taken during the bush war that were never publicised in the media. He built figurines, tanks, guns, and trees from scratch to create scenes that he then photographed.
Included in the exhibition were photographs of young men who were dressed in original bush war attire, with war-paint on their faces.
Doherty said the bush war project stemmed from other work he was involved in, constructing imaginary worlds using miniature people. He feels that the bush war is an important period in South African history that needs to be brought to light and dealt with by South Africans.
Fought during the Cold War era, it intertwined global political consequences. “This is an issue that South Africa has never properly dealt with, one that has been pushed under the carpet,” he says.
Although the exhibition has sparked controversy in other parts of South Africa, “Bos” was well attended and welcomed by Grahamstown locals.
