GEO-HISTORICAL RE-APPROPRIATION IN SOUTH AFRICA: ZULU IDENTITY AND THE STRUGGLE FOR MEMORIAL SPACE

Abstract

Post-apartheid South Africa saw a shift from a one-sided glorification of the past by whites to a more balanced historical representation of the heroes and events that landmarked the shaping of the country. When Nelson Mandela was elected, people in KwaZulu-Natal acknowledged the imbalance in the distribution of tokens from the past, such as monuments and Lieux de mémoire, as Nora (1997) puts it, and decided something had to be done about it. Yet, if the unveiling of some of the Zulu monuments went smoothly, others were marked by problems most of which had to do with human representations. This article argues that the difficulties encountered regarding the portrayal of Zulu kings such as Shaka kaSenzangakhona or Dinizulu kaCetshwayo were triggered by a misconception of what a “Zulu” ought to be and more particularly because of what might be considered as sterile competition with “European” style monuments. This analysis seeks to shed light on the way the aftermath of apartheid was dealt with in KwaZulu-Natal, and the geo-political implications and impact of the debates that surround the construction of various “Zulu identities” within a globalising world.