The portrayal of Namibia and Namibians in selected crime fiction: Social reflections, ethnicity and race

Abstract

This thesis explored the portrayal of Namibia and its people in three Crime Fiction novels: Blood Rose by Margie Orford (2007), The Hour of the Jackal by Bernhard Jaumann (2011), and The Kupferberg Mining Company by Johan J. Beyers (2013). It is a qualitative desktop study, which made use of a simple analysis checklist for guiding purposes. Using the theory of Postcolonialism, the research focused on what social reflections were found in the selected texts regarding the Namibian nation, how ethnic groups are portrayed, and racial relationships, specifically their assignment to key characters, namely the victims, the criminals, and the protagonists. The thesis aimed to demonstrate that the Crime Fiction genre is not merely entertainment‐centred, that it can be read against the grain, and applicable truths are found in them, with a specific focus on Namibia. The analysis of the texts revealed that all three contain fictional narratives with actual Namibian historical backgrounds, which reflect on truthful aspects of that period; and the portrayal of ethnic groups and racial issues was found to be a blend of positive showcasing, as well as stereotypical bias.