Eugen Sandow’s visit to South Africa in 1904 was a triumph of colonial display and racism. Despite its prejudices it influenced the development of bodybuilding in South Africa.
Eugen Sandow was an internationally famous strongman. The German-born British showman toured the world challenging other strongmen and staging displays of strength. He declared himself to be a physical culturist and became the face of the physical culture movement and a pioneer of bodybuilding. Historically, the term “ physical culture ” is associated with displays of strength, health and fitness.
As he did in other places, Sandow left behind the seeds of a revival of the strongman cult in South Africa through his stage shows and writings. He had become the representation of what was understood to be the ideal, strong, white Englishman and many emulated him. In South Africa he also wrote opinion pieces, directed at women, on subjects like skincare and women’s corsets. In the US, women paid considerable sums for private interviews in his dressing room after his shows.
Physical culture Physical culture originated in the 1800s as a health and strength training movement. The study of physical culture, the foundation of body building and weightlifting, is extremely neglected in the global south. Yet, this field of study reveals much about how human beings use exercise, medicine and sport to shape their lives.
Before Sandow’s arrival, public displays by strongmen were not unknown in South African society. One example is that of Kupido Kok, a cousin of the Griqua leader, Adam Kok. His reported feats included snapping the thigh bone of an eland, lifting a large pot from a fire with his little finger and lifting a 5,000 pound wagon. However, his skills did not interest colonial societies, where whiteness mattered above all.
Bodybuilding British Empire British Colonialism Colonial Africa Eugenics South African War South African History Physical Culture
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