Athi-Patra Ruga
2021Public Service Announcement
Athi-Patra Ruga
Public Service Announcement introduces the viewer to the political structure and history of the fictional republic of Azania. Divided into three ‘acts’, the film begins with a monologue by an unidentified narrator and seemingly omnipotent presence. As the Azanian myth unfolds against a visual backdrop of neon and black, the genealogy of its protagonists becomes increasingly complex and the viewer is left with the sense that this matriarchal government is an autocratic state. The rebirth and catharsis represented by the growing procession of human and animal figures in the third act suggest that we have witnessed a revolution and the birth of a new era. Building on previous work, the artist uses this incarnation of Azania as a satirical lens through which to critique the flawed, convoluted political and symbolic rhetoric used in nation-building and the legitimization of ruling elites.
Public Service Announcement
Over the Rainbow
Athi-Patra Ruga
Over the Rainbow’s title is a riff on “Rainbow Nation,” the name for South Africa dreamt up by Archbishop Desmon Tutu, following the end of apartheid in 1994. Ruga critiques “rainbowism” and the social, political status quo that presumes a happy, harmonious family of South Africans, rather than pursues societal transformation that can address inequities and recognize the various cultures and contributions of Black queer, female citizens that South Africa comprises. Rather than grief or grievance, however, Ruga deploys camp and pageantry to retaliate against xenophobia, misogyny, and homophobia across Africa. As he observes, “humor, color, fashion, and a vivid pop sensibility have as much agency as anger, outrage, and the right to say, Fuck this!” —Kanitra Fletcher
Over the Rainbow