Theorizing “mobile memory leapfrogging”: a case study of digital Holocaust memory culture in the Global South

Abstract In recent years, digital technology has redefined Holocaust memory. While it has made Holocaust commemoration and education considerably widespread in the Global South, the rapid growth of digitized Holocaust memory worldwide raises questions regarding unequal access to the internet and information technology. This discrepancy is also known as the digital divide, and it was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article examines how Holocaust and genocide museums in the Global South address challenges of the digital age, with a particular focus on digitalization in African museums from 2020 to 2023. Furthermore, we explore several questions: How can educators teach the Holocaust and other genocides in peripheral areas that have no broadband connection? Are we limiting Holocaust and genocide commemoration and education to more privileged, connected societies? How does the digital divide impact the discourse on the globalization and democratization of Holocaust and genocide narratives? Focusing on three Holocaust and genocide institutions prior to and during the COVID-19 outbreak—the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre (JHGC), the Durban Holocaust and Genocide Centre (DHGC), and the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda (KGM)—we explore what we term “mobile memory leapfrogging,” or the shifting of mnemonic activities to mobile-only platforms to overcome the hardships generated by the digital divide.