Paratus and the SADF Soldier: Military Culture and Emotionality
This visual study of Paratus magazine’s military and propaganda imagery during the height of the Border War period, between 1975 and 1985, offers rich analyses into the prominent visual themes, which were mobilised in the visual communication and motivation techniques of the South African Defence Force (SADF).
In this online exhibition, three key themes are highlighted to allow the viewer to gain insight into the main modes of propaganda techniques engaged in Paratus. The aim of this exhibition is to attempt to understand how these visual themes and imagery would have served to motivate Paratus readers – not only to support the SADF’s military incursions at the Border, but also the broader campaign of the SADF during this period.
Conceptualised by Gabriela Mazewski as a component of her BA Honours thesis of the same name, the aim for this online exhibition was to engage her passion for curatorial studies and curation techniques in conjunction with her formal written research in 2020.