Analysis of Nothing's changed by Tatmkhulu Afrika

The poem Nothing’s changed is based on an apartheid in district six near cape town in south Africa exploring the portrayal of racism. The ironic title reveals to the reader how the apartheid has changed nothing but the physical appearance of district six.

The poet gives the reader the impression that the speaker in the poem has grown up throughout his childhood in district six and has left and returned after the apartheid has supposedly begun.

The poem is written in enjambment and is said as a narrative, in stanza one the speaker has returned to district six that has evicted all its ethnic cultures to be replaced by a white minority, to find that the place is a shambles and people have no respect for it he talks about the “seeding grasses thrust bearded seeds into trouser cuffs, cans, trodden on” this shows how littered it has become, the fact he mentions it shows the reader it did not use to be like that. Also the mention of the “purple-flowering amiable weeds”, purple being the colour known for dried blood implies to the reader that some sort of massacre went on throughout the apartheid, and amiable meaning sociable and friendly as a mask over what is really going on in the village.

The overall emotion in the poem is revengeful and tragic, however the emotion from the speaker is anger and repulsion towards the white minority and the way they have took over the black’s home, he is aware that he has entered district six without any acknowledgement towards his surrounding, the way he says “District six.” As a short sentence sounds cold but built up with anger, he knows where he is and he doesn’t particularly want to be there.” No board says it: but my feet know,” this gives the impression he has steps on this ground many times before for his own feel to be aware of its surroundings, “and the skin about my bones, and the soft labouring of my lungs, and the hot, white, inward turning anger of my eyes.” The repetition of “and” makes the wording like a list and makes out the speaker has endless bad feelings towards this environment.

Afrika then talks about the new buildings that have emerged since he has been gone to illustrate the diverse condition between the two social cultures within his society.

He talks about the new building “flaring like a flag” as if it is taunting him, “it squats in the grass and weeds,” this gives the reader a horrible impression of the place but also implies the building stand out of its surrounds, it doesn’t belong there.