Lost in memory? Black commemoration of 'white men's wars'

Abstract

‘Lost in memory?’ is an expression I use in this thesis to highlight the misrepresentation of the role played by Black Africans in shaping the history of South Africa. A critical review of the historical narratives clearly illustrates that the memory of Black Africans has been lost, with only limited instances where they are acknowledged as having played an important role during the conflicts. This has thus affected their recognition as active participants in the wars. I use two case studies to investigate the roles played by Black Africans in the two so-called ‘white men’s wars’, namely the Siege of Mafikeng (South African War) and the tragedy that defined the sinking of the SS Mendi (First World War). The two case studies represent instances where Black Africans were involved in larger capacities. I furthermore review activities and physical structures (memorials and monuments) linked with the commemoration of these two conflicts, with the aim to review the extent to which the memory of Black Africans is either present or absent from such efforts of remembrance. My findings indicate that there is a racial approach to commemoration, with Black Africans being largely unrepresented. Where they are mentioned, the element of ‘shared suffering’ is emphasised. I saw such an approach as attempts to achieve what one may define as political correctness. In addition, I discovered that when Black Africans commemorate their own, they do so using what one can define as a Westernised approach to commemoration – through building physical structures or having musical groups perform. One may argue that the loss of culture and rituals has played a significant role in how Black Africans have commemorated their ancestors in the few instances where this has occurred. The significance of my research study is that I was able to document commemorative structures that have not enjoyed the attention of academics. I also went beyond simply assessing commemorative structures and focused on other forms of commemoration as practised by Black Africans. For this purpose, I reviewed the commemorative structures and the Ditrupa/Diturupa festival held annually by various Batswana groups in different locations in South Africa to understand how Black Africans have chosen to commemorate their own and to not have them omitted from the memory of the wars. Keywords: memory; commemoration; commemorative structures; Siege of Mafikeng; SS Mendi