Artistic memory

I am particularly interested in arts in the form of memorialisation. Drawing on South Africa I have spend a lot of time investigating the memorialisation process post-apartheid and its relationship to gender inclusiveness. The newly democratic government adopted a progressive and somewhat radical stance towards the process of memorialisation deeming such sites critical for supporting the process of reconciliation (recognising that by acknowledging the suffering experienced by victims and contributions made, a degree of dignity for said victims could be reaffirmed). Moreover, the process of transforming and democratising the official landscape was necessary to reflect both the cultural diversity of South Africa as well as the government’s commitment towards gender inclusiveness. The commitment of the ANC-led government to rectify the exclusives of the memory-scape of the country provided an avenue for women to enter the public realm of consciousness. however, this response will seek to grapple with question around visibility – when women are memorialised and offered space in the memory-scape .

In my final Thesis I explored the making of national identity from the memory-scape of post-apartheid South Africa and the contestations in representations of women. I considered the memorialisation process in post-apartheid, looking specifically at the moments when women have become visible within the public sphere. I argued that the ways in which post-apartheid collective memories of women have been mediated for representation within the public sphere has affected the country’s ability to fully actualise the national identity mandated, following 1994.