Untitled (Zimbabwean Queen of Rave)
Untitled (Zimbabwean Queen of Rave) is one of the earliest video works in PROTEST. Made by Zimbabwean artist Dan Halter in 2005, the piece juxtaposes demonstrations in South Africa from the early 1990s and the concurrent rise of rave culture across Europe, with dance being central to both. The video combines self-recorded footage with found online material, presenting a stark cultural divide along racial lines and between South Africa and Europe.
Both movements were shaped by the crowd psychology of mass gatherings and expressed a longing for another reality. In Halter’s video, the song ‘Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)’ by Zimbabwean singer Rozalla brings these two worlds together. Known as ‘The Queen of Rave’, Rozalla had a global hit with the track. However, the song carried a different connotation in South Africa than it did in Europe.