‘Power’ and ‘greatness’ : superheroes and masculinities : Guinness as a social and cultural signifier in southern Africa

Abstract

Guinness and Irishness are inextricably linked both in the popular imagination (Murphy 2003) and through the origins and manufacture of the product in Dublin. In southern Africa, too, this iconic product occupies a position in the lived experiences of both men and women that is cultural, social and economic, as I show in this chapter, which explores Guinness as a cultural artefact in the region. I examine two major sites where Guinness has occupied a role: in the economy, in the guise of brewing, distributing, marketing and advertising; and in the cultural and social spaces, where Guinness has had a role in the lives of the consumers and non- consumers of Guinness. The chapter begins by exploring the changing face of production, the complexities of distribution and the new direction of Guinness marketing strategies (Doyle, interview, 1997).1 In order to understand the role and function of Guinness within the southern African social and cultural framework, the study will then locate itself in the social and cultural space, examining Guinness as a cultural signifier by investigating a series of adverts that have appeared in Africa from the 1950s through to the 21st century, locating some of the myths and rituals that surround Guinness. I shall explore the texts where ‘Guinness’ is produced and reproduced as a cultural commodity in its advertising strategies and content, analyse some of the imagery and promise, and illustrate how the advertising texts support, and possibly generate, consumer readings and meanings.