Nandi MhlongoA recent study from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) has found that television advertisements for maize products in South Africa rely on, and perpetuate colonial-era ideologies, reinforcing a link between the staple food and black, working-class people.
The study, titled "Foodscapes and positioning of staple food in Africa: A case of youth perceptions on maize consumption discourses in Cape Town," by Nandi Mhlongo for her MA thesis in Linguistics, argues that advertisers use strategic semiotics and discourses to target and manipulate black South Africans, particularly those in townships, into consuming maize staple foods.
“When I was doing the interviews, most of my participants said they grew up eating maize, and it was readily available. Now that they were at university, they preferred other foods, and only ate maize because of its availability,” said Mhlongo.
Originally from Matsulu township in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, Mhlongo said moving to UWC was not just a culture shock, but also exposed the extent to which she had a sheltered upbringing. She had initially planned to become a psychologist but chose instead to pursue linguistics. She is currently a lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and is working towards her PhD.
Mhlongo’s research highlights a significant gap in academic literature concerning staple food consumption discourses, especially in a multicultural context like South Africa where maize is a common staple for the majority of the black population.
She said there’s a gap in marketing to promote maize and include it in other foodscapes, such as at popular family restaurants.
“Based on research, sorghum is a healthier alternative to maize, but because of things that happened in the past, we don’t see them (healthier staples), and those are the things we should be eating,” said Mhlongo.
While perceptions of maize remain negative, she said these ideologies can be changed.
“Most people tend to accept them as natural, but they are not. There are people who decide how things are going to be done. I think it's very intentional for advertisers to target a specific population,” said Mhlongo.
Advertisements for maize products, such as Ace and Iwisa, strategically utilise semiotic resources to convey specific messages. These ads frequently feature township settings, employing visuals such as gated houses, taxis and spaza shops. This creates an authentic and relatable environment for the target audience. By carefully selecting place settings, social actors, music, voiceovers and gestures, these advertisements position maize as an affordable food for the working class.
“Advertisers have the option of either reinforcing or challenging ideologies. They could challenge them by targeting more racial groups in their advertisements,” said Mhlongo.
The research found that advertisements often employ storytelling to establish an emotional connection with viewers. For instance, the Ace Instant Porridge ad tells the story of a young boy navigating challenges in a township, implicitly suggesting that the product gives him the resilience to overcome these adversities. The study found that young participants relate to this narrative, seeing it as a reflection of their own childhoods and thus legitimising the discourse of the "resilient township child". The ads also use relatable family dynamics, such as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship in a White Star Instant Porridge ad, to attract and connect with consumers.
The study revealed that maize is not only positioned as an affordable and accessible food, but is also associated with a specific cultural identity. The analysis showed that advertisers predominantly feature black social actors in these ads, reinforcing the idea that maize is a staple food for black people. This aligns with the historical context of maize's widespread adoption in South Africa, which was largely a result of colonial and apartheid-era policies. According to the study, this strategic positioning continues to perpetuate the colonial ideology of maize as a food for a specific racial group.
The youth participants in the study acknowledged that their consumption choices are heavily influenced by cultural, environmental and economic factors, often rooted in their upbringing. While they consume maize-based meals frequently at home, they often choose not to order them at restaurants. This is because they perceive eating maize at a restaurant as being of a lower social status and believe it does not align with the desired "posh" or "top class" identity they wish to project. This suggests a disconnect between the normalised home consumption of maize and its public perception in a multicultural foodscape.
Ultimately, the study concludes that while South Africa is often referred to as a "rainbow nation," the advertising and positioning of maize products do not adequately reflect this diversity. Instead, they almost exclusively target black consumers, reinforcing historical perceptions and contributing to the continued exclusion of maize from mainstream restaurant menus, which are dominated by other staple foods, such as rice and potatoes.
