Visualizing Namibia: posters and publics before independence

Abstract

Commercial and political posters are imposed on a landscape, breaking the view, on a mission to persuade.1 Posters proliferate—they are images that have been mechanically reproduced and inserted into public spaces. Indeed, it is the very weight of their visual repetition and emphasis that is intended to highlight the importance of the product, party, or personality being promoted. A poster captures and releases its subject in the same breath. The power of the poster can thus not simply be equated with the quality of its design, but must also be related to the ways in which a particular poster is deployed. Two features of poster practices create a tension: while posters are often only seen for a temporary period of time, before their image is stripped or fades, their purpose is to leave a lasting impression on the viewer.