Lectio Praecursoria: Memory Meanders—Place, home and commemoration in an ex-Rhodesian diaspora community

Uusihakala, Katja Marikka

doi:10.30676/jfas.v33i1.116399

Cited by 2 publications

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“…This paper examines a commemorative ceremony-the 'Centenary of Rhodesia'-which white former Rhodesians celebrated in South Africa in 1990, ten years after Rhodesia ceased to exist and Zimbabwe became independent. In my research (Uusihakala 2008) on this community of ex-Rhodesians, who have emigrated from Zimbabwe after the country's independence in 1980 and settled in South Africa, I examine the many ways in which the colonial past is remembered and reworked in the present. I analyze how Rhodesia, a country that clearly does not exist anymore, becomes meaningful in the everyday lives of former colonials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Keeping the Flame Alive”

Uusihakala

2008

Suomen Antropologi

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In 1990 ex-Rhodesians—white former colonials who have emigrated from Zimbabwe after its independence in 1980—organized a commemorative event in South Africa in order to celebrate the Centenary of the founding of Rhodesia. In spite of the fact that Rhodesia no longer exists, it continues to have intrinsic weight in the present lives of former Rhodesians. It is held close by social memory practices, which are fundamental to how the diaspora community comes to understand itself and its place in the world. This article examines social memory practices in the context of the Centenary celebrations. The festivities involved the creation of an imaginary Rhodesianaland in a holiday resort in South Africa. The key event during the festivities was the re-enactment of the arrival of the Pioneer Column in Fort Salisbury (Harare) and the founding of colonial Rhodesia. The main objective of the commemorative event was the creation of a ceremonial site in which people could come together to recall and to reflect upon their shared past by re-telling the community’s origin narrative. However, the article also suggests that the mnemonic power and emotional affectivity of commemoration rests on the fact that culturally meaningful experiences are bodily enacted. Keywords: Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, whites, social memory, commemoration

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Keeping the Flame Alive”

Uusihakala

2008

Suomen Antropologi

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‘Memory objects’: Material objects and memories of home in the context of intra-African mobility

Marschall

2019

Journal of Material Culture

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This article contributes to the intersection of material culture and mobility studies by exploring the role of objects in fostering nostalgia and emotionally linking migrants with their home world. ‘Memory objects’ are conceptualized as special personal belongings that elicit deliberate or involuntary memories of homeland, home culture, social relations and episodes in one’s pre-migration past. Focusing on intra-African migration, the study is based on in-depth interviews with a sample of 40 migrants from 13 African countries, temporarily or permanently based in South Africa. Contrary to the extant literature, initial findings indicate most participants did not value keepsakes or sentimental mementoes of home. However, it emerged that some had developed a special relationship with specific utilitarian objects, mostly received as gifts, which essentially turned into memory objects over time, precipitating memories and emotional attachment through routine usage and performative action. It is argued that more attention must be paid to socio-cultural values and other locally specific factors.

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Lectio Praecursoria: Memory Meanders—Place, home and commemoration in an ex-Rhodesian diaspora community

Cited by 2 publications

References 1 publication

“Keeping the Flame Alive”

“Keeping the Flame Alive”

‘Memory objects’: Material objects and memories of home in the context of intra-African mobility

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