Welcome in Our Peace World, 1993 (wood, paint, wire, synthetic fibre)

Anticipating South Africa’s first multiracial elections, which would sweep Nelson Mandela to power the following year, Welcome in Our Peace World addresses the transition from the armed liberation struggle against “whites-only” apartheid into a new democratic era. Segogela suggests the need for South Africans to cast their weapons into the furnace. The fenced-in security apparatus, guarded by armed soldiers, recalls the passing apartheid era. The Bible-wielding preachers on the other side are more ambiguous, evocative of redemption, but also perhaps of new forms of division. Segogela’s works are informed by both his political engagement and his devout Christian beliefs. His compositions demonstrate a deep-seated concern with themes of salvation and redemption, tempered by humor and satirical distance.