Articles with the keyword Zimbabwe
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“Keeping the Flame Alive”: Commemoration in an ex-Rhodesian diaspora community
Suomen Antropologi: Journal of the Finnish Anthropological Society 33(3) 2008: 21-34
Abstract
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 commemoration, Rhodesia, social memory, whites, Zimbabwe