COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND THE IMMORTALIZATION OF THE DEAD: THE CASE OF KAMUNGOMA LIBERATION CAMP-SITE
Mutero Prosper
Kamungoma liberation war camp-site is situated 12 km Southeast
of Bhasera growth point, which is in the South-eastern side of Zimbabwe. This
site recorded the highest number of civilian people killed at the same time on a
single day during the liberation struggle within Zimbabwe during the Zimbabwean
liberation struggle. Locals holds the narrative that on the 14th of May 1978,
about 105 people were killed by the Rhodesian forces during a pungwe (night vigil where the
liberation fighters met and taught the masses about the strategies and reasons
for the Liberation struggle). Amongst the contemporary locals is a number of
individuals who are survivors to the 1978 event as well as relatives of those
who perished. Ever since the 1980 when the country attained its independence,
people in this part of Gutu area started commemorating such national holidays
as the Heroes day, the Independence day, the Unity day at this very site. The
celebrations however were done on this site most importantly to identify
participants with the ruling Zanu pf political party as well as to commemorate
the lives of the departed heroes. This community however approached the National
Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) in the 2012, seeking the NMMZ’s
intervention in constructing a memorial on the Kamungoma liberation war
camp-site.
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| The community members |
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| The NMMZ stone masons |
The
NMMZ had to do some research on the matter, as well as hosting planning
meetings with the community leaders on what exactly was to be done. A year later, on the 16th of
October 2013, the NMMZ sent a team of nine to help the community erect a
memorial at Kamungoma. Among the nine (all based at the Great Zimbabwe World
Heritage Site) was the stone-masons as well as the two intern Honors student of
which I was one of them. This team was being led by a curator of archaeology
and it worked with the communities to construct the memorial which was built in
a similarly to the Great Zimbabwe free-standing dry-stone structures. The construction was regarded by the community
as tangible form of remembering the dead and commemorating them. According to
the community, the Great Zimbabwe known locally as the dzimbabwe meaning residence and burial of the kings/owned hence the
dry stone structure as well as the conical tower was the best possible way of
immortalizing the memory both of the event and the people who perished at this
very site. A black graphited panel with inscriptions of the manes of those who
perished during the massacre placed on the wall and this was done to ensure
their being remembered.
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| The site after completion of the memorial |
So it was YOU :D prosper!!!!!
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