Jackals with muddy whiskers : re-centering decolonized memory in South Africa through performativity and text

Abstract

This article discusses dialogues between South African poets and ourselves. The poets describe their roles as purveyors of memory, bringing experiences with nature into the present, providing universal interconnectedness. Our title is a proverb meaning “the jackal that survives is the one with muddy whiskers”. To survive, a jackal must know the world deeply, utilizing deep listening and respectful engagement. The poets describe poetry as a multimodal act, grounded in their geospatial locations. They weave memories of their communities and cultures into multimedia works, integrating diverse art forms. They decolonize the study of memory by subverting the centering of Northern epistemologies and re-centering their experience as distinctively (South) African. Writing as “implicated subjects” who have benefited from systems of privilege, we are part of a community of poets. We engage with the poets through found poetry as we trace connections between the poets and their work towards healing.