TY - JOUR
KW - African
KW - Bhambayi
KW - community
KW - Gandhi
KW - heritage
KW - Indian
KW - Memory
KW - Phoenix Settlement
KW - Reconciliation
KW - Resistance
KW - Tangible and intangible heritage
KW - Tourism
KW - Violence
AU - Sabine Marschall
AB - The article focuses on the Phoenix Settlement, which Mahatma Gandhi established north of Durban during his formative years in South Africa. The settlement was almost completely destroyed during the Inanda Riots in 1985, after which a large community of African informal settlers moved onto the land, now known as Bhambayi. In the late 1990s, the settlement was restored and substantially reconstructed. It was opened as a heritage site in February 2000 and now forms an important local tourist attraction. The article explores the meaning of the Phoenix Settlement in terms of its tangible an(] intangible heritage, arguing that this is a highly significant yet ambiguous site. Interviews with a small sample of local community member., reveal that younger people have more positive attitudes towards the site, but many associate it exclusively With Indians and elite visitors. As a heritage site, the Phoenix Settlement is officially positioned as a symbol of reconciliation and non-violent resistance, but the perception of the surrounding community is closely tied to race relations between Indians and Africans. The site is also overshadowed by its violent recent history, despite the fact that virtually all tangible evidence of that violence has been erased through the site s reconstruction and restoration. The article ends with a set of recommendations on how the presentation and management of Gandhi s settlement and its relationship with the local community could be improved.
BT - Southern African Humanities
DA - dec
LA - English
M1 - 2
N2 - The article focuses on the Phoenix Settlement, which Mahatma Gandhi established north of Durban during his formative years in South Africa. The settlement was almost completely destroyed during the Inanda Riots in 1985, after which a large community of African informal settlers moved onto the land, now known as Bhambayi. In the late 1990s, the settlement was restored and substantially reconstructed. It was opened as a heritage site in February 2000 and now forms an important local tourist attraction. The article explores the meaning of the Phoenix Settlement in terms of its tangible an(] intangible heritage, arguing that this is a highly significant yet ambiguous site. Interviews with a small sample of local community member., reveal that younger people have more positive attitudes towards the site, but many associate it exclusively With Indians and elite visitors. As a heritage site, the Phoenix Settlement is officially positioned as a symbol of reconciliation and non-violent resistance, but the perception of the surrounding community is closely tied to race relations between Indians and Africans. The site is also overshadowed by its violent recent history, despite the fact that virtually all tangible evidence of that violence has been erased through the site s reconstruction and restoration. The article ends with a set of recommendations on how the presentation and management of Gandhi s settlement and its relationship with the local community could be improved.
PY - 2008
SP - 353
EP - 374
T2 - Southern African Humanities
TI - An inspiring narrative with a shadow: tangible and intangible heritage at the Phoenix Settlement of Mahatma Gandhi
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84861024098&partnerID=40&md5=8ff61c7b4077e23cdfa11a717aa35e93
VL - 20
SN - 16815564 (ISSN)
ER -