NM's Boys

Kamohelo Mahlatsi, 2025 

"Nelson Makamo's Boys" captures a poignant moment in post-apartheid South Africa, where 3 young boys “play” with an ANC flag with innocence. Thirty-one years into democracy, these images speak volumes about generational memory and shifting political consciousness.

The title is a deliberate play on the name “Nelson” invoking both Nelson Mandela, the ANC’s most iconic leader and a symbol of liberation, and Nelson Makamo, a contemporary artist known for his portraits of hopeful African youth wearing glass frames. This dual reference bridges past and present: Mandela’s vision for the youth of 1994, and Makamo’s vision of today’s youth, caught between inherited ideals and present realities.

Inspired by Makamo’s expressive style, the work features three young boys in red glasses — his signature symbol of intellectual and creative potential juxtaposed against the ANC flag and luxury Gucci slides. This contrast becomes a visual metaphor: once a symbol of hope and freedom, the ANC is now often seen by today’s youth as a party marked by corruption and disconnection from their struggles.

Set in an athletics stadium a symbol of the ongoing race for power the series is both tribute and critique. It honors the ANC’s historic role in liberation, but also asks: What did the ANC mean to the youth of 1994? And what does it mean to the youth of today? That comparison sits at the core of this project, and it’s a question I want viewers to sit with.
The children's playful interaction with these heavy political symbols opens space to reflect on what happens when revolutionary movements become institutions and how young people, then and now, inherit, reshape, or reject those legacies.”

- Kamohelo Mahlatsi