A Freak Show in District 9

The Construction of a Freak Amongst Aliens

Abstract

In District 9, the body of the main character, Wikus van de Merwe, becomes a battleground for the competing cultures of human and alien. But while it is widely recognized that the film is a science fiction metaphor for the Apartheid, less discussed are the parallels between Wikus’s story and that of the historical freak. This essay looks at the way in which Wikus’s transformation and clashing identities make him the star of Johannesburg’s own alien freak show.