African Indigenous Performances, Collective Memory, and Identity in Post-apartheid uMlazi Township, South Africa

What unfolds when performative cultural production becomes both a conduit for collectively remembering the past and a map for (re)-imagining identity and belonging among residents in a fractured and contested space of a post-apartheid South African township? Drawing on ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews among residents of uMlazi Township, this paper addresses the above question by exploring the role that African intangible cultural performances play in shaping collective memory and reconfiguring collective identity and belonging among individuals navigating the highly segregated and fraught urban landscape, imbued with socio-spatial historical dynamics. For Zulu performers and uMlazi residents, these practices are not just cultural and artistic expressions; they are palimpsestic and historied practices, imbued with shared memories of apartheid injustices. We argue that the palimpsestic nature of the performances makes them more powerful reservoir for creatively crafting shared experience and forging a sense of collective identity and community within the township. The paper contributes to the broader discourse on intangible heritage in post-apartheid [South] African urban space.