Renewal of political culture

DESCRIPTION OF PAINTING by Artist
Lunga Mabongo

Acceptance of absent fathers is rapidly increasing, almost to the point of becoming a culture. The absence of a father has a significant impact on the children's self-esteem and courtship behaviour as adults. These effects can at times be so severe that they completely alter a child's perception of the value of a man in the family.

Developmental problems are common in fatherless children. The young person's opinion of themselves in connection to their peers is significantly impacted by these challenges. The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of their father will likely have an effect on the child's upbringing and behaviour.

Childhood experiences determined that traumatic experiences during childhood are a root cause of many social, emotional, and cognitive impairments that lead to increased risk of unhealthy, risk of violence or re-victimization, low life potential, and premature mortality. As the number of adverse experiences increases, so does the risk of problems from childhood to adulthood.

According to Stats SA, nearly two-thirds of live births registered last year were done so without the father's information. Of the 37.3% with available information on fathers, 32.2% of children born in 2017 were to fathers between the ages of 30 and 35.

DESCRIPTION 

In this painting, we see two figures, one painted in grey and the other one in a colour. Grey is neutral, unemotional, and not a true colour in itself. Grey is introverted, reserved, and keeps itself to itself. The colour grey is also a colour of maturity and responsibility. The use of grey in this painting portrays the feeling of abandonment that causes a child to find it difficult to trust anyone. This lack of trust leads to recklessness, which can lead a person on any of the many possible paths. 

The figure painted with colour portrays renewal on a path of hope, as shown by the man carrying a flag up. As we can see from the two beads that represent hope and land, the child is shown with a ray of hope. The yellow one portrays hope, as hope gives us the drive to look forward to life and the green one symbolizes a promised land and future opportunities.