by Biana E Akpokabayen
My playlist, “The Rebirth of a Nation,” is representative of South Africa’s journey to democracy. As a South African, I curated this four-track playlist on the nation’s Apartheid history and created an infographic to visually accompany my curated playlist. My infographic is designed to be accessible to a broad audience, providing context for listeners/viewers regardless of their familiarity with South Africa’s historical background. My playlist functions as a sonic essay where the chronological sequencing of the four songs narrates a different era in South Africa’s history
The first song is “Meadowlands,” a protest song written in response to the forced removals from Sophiatown after the Group Areas Act of 1950. Although the song sounds upbeat, its cheerful tone was meant to seem like the composer supported the removals, when in reality the song expressed defiance through lyrics like “Ons pola hier (We’re staying here).” The second song, “Weeping” (1980s), shifts into a more mournful and reflective tone, capturing the emotional exhaustion of a nation living under violent suppression and strict censorship. Despite strict government control, the song was televised, with censors failing to recognise its message and its inclusion of the banned anthem “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” which at the time was anti-apartheid symbol. The third song is “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” which became the national anthem in 1997 and marks the country’s transition into democracy and the official end of Apartheid. Finally, “Baba Yetu” is the Lord’s prayer in Swahili, and it closes the playlist with a sense of spiritual upliftment and forward‑looking hope. In my opinion, it is a symbol that acknowledges while South Africa is still healing from the legacy of apartheid, it continues to rise toward a brighter future. Together, these four songs create a sonic arc that mirrors the emotional and political transformation of the nation.
When designing the visual component, I wanted my infographic to match the emotional and historical weight of the playlist’s narrative. I chose a horizontal, timeline‑like layout to emphasize the progression, and I used an ombre gradient as the background because it visually mirrors South Africa’s journey. The leftmost side is filled with deep reds and dark oranges, symbolizing the violence, restriction, and fear that defined the apartheid era. As the viewer moves toward the centre, the colours shift into lighter oranges, representing the strengthening of resistance movements and the growing cracks in the apartheid system. The rightmost side transitions into bright yellow, a deliberate choice to symbolize hope, rebirth, and the possibility of a more unified future. The lingering darker splatters across the yellow background show that the past is not erased, and its remnants continue to shape the present.
At the centre of the infographic, I placed a raised fist wrapped in barbed wire grasping a megaphone, and this image is paired with the second song, Weeping. The fist represents the determination of people who refused to be silent, even when speaking up came with real danger. The barbed wire around it shows how that resistance was never free or easy. It conveys the pain, restriction, and constant threat that surrounded anyone who dared to speak against the apartheid government. I wrapped the lyrics “It wasn’t roaring, it was weeping” around the image and this pairing showed how people continued to speak up even when their voices were strained by decades of struggle – at this point, the country was crying for change. I wanted viewers to feel that tension between courage and suffering, because it captures the emotional truth of that era.
Together, the playlist and infographic work to capture the emotional truth of South Africa’s past and the hope shaping its future. My goal was to create something that informs, resonates, and invites viewers to understand the country’s journey in a meaningful way.