The un/changing face of the Khomani : representation through promotional media.
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Date
2009
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Abstract
This dissertation involves a longitudinal study of the promotional materials of !Xaus
Lodge, a community-owned lodge in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The study
engages with stakeholders of the Lodge in order to assess its promotional materials in
terms of marketing, identity and development issues.
The Circuit of Culture (Du Gay et al. 1997) covers and examines the process of
meaning-making which forms the basis for understanding the textual and reception
analyses. This, along with pertinent tourism theories, which discuss issues such as the
concept of ‘authenticity’, the notion of the ‘other’ and various modes of
representation, form the basis of the theory pervading the dissertation.
The textual analysis is based on Tomaselli’s Phaneroscopic Table (1996), through
which the promotional materials are examined. The reception analysis thematically
discusses target market and past visitors’ opinions about the materials and the Lodge,
facilitated through the process of coding. The informants’ opinions were collected
through a number of focus groups conducted with the target market of !Xaus Lodge
and through online questionnaires sent to past visitors. A comparison between the
textual and reception analyses is conducted in order to identify similarities found and explain divergences. The analyses refer to all aspects of the promotional materials, but tend to concentrate
on ≠Khomani representation within the materials and the feedback about the
≠Khomani cultural tourism experience at the Lodge. At the moment, the ≠Khomani express a romantic identity which relates well to similar expectations of many tourists, but the ‘reality’ of ≠Khomani society does not allow these !Xaus employees to meet the idealistic expectations of some visitors.
Description
Thesis (M.A.)-University KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.
Keywords
Culture and tourism., Culture and tourism--South Africa., San (African people)--Ethnic identity., Theses--Culture, communication and media studies.