The trumpet of Armageddon : South Africa-Zimbabwe special permits and the fear of going back home

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Source:

Journal of African Languages and Literary Studies, Volume 1, Number 2, p.9–26 (2020)

URL:

https://journals.co.za/content/journal/10520/EJC-1f264bd438

Abstract:

The discussion below treads the thin line between literature and language. Through critical engagement with the past and current, and on-going events, we experiment with genre mixing by drawing on creative literary works, online newspaper reports, and readers‟ comments to these reports to expose the apparent contradictions – ironies and paradoxes – of black existence, especially in view of hashtag black lives matter protest movements. Invoking the debates around South Africa-Zimbabwe Special Permits, we raise questions about the idea of “home” in the context of migration. We deliberately apply the principle of animal migration as a conceptual framework to horn in on what really is home and where home is for a black person.

Notes:

Publisher: Adonis & Abbey Publishers