Nation, Memory and History in South Africa through John Dube

ABSTRACT

John Dube (1871-1946) is a central figure in modern South African memory and history. There are at least two significant trends among those in which, between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 21st century, Dube was the object or subject of interest. Thus, on one hand, in a dominant perspective during Apartheid (1948-1994), there are those who tend to identify Dube as a collaborator in the implementation of that segregationist regime. On the other hand, especially in the context of building the Rainbow Nation, there are those who see Mafukuzela as a central figure, a hero in the historical struggle against racial segregation. A profusion of devices has been used to produce, update, or question the Dube legacy: his existence assumes a public dimension, being the object of different strategies and plots of political competition and battles for the memory of the South African nation.

Keywords:
John Dube (1871-1946); Nation; Memory; History; South Africa