Landscape, belonging & identity in North-west Zimbabwe: a semiotic analysis

Research has shown that there is an inextricable relationship between landscape, belonging and identity. Landscapes possess marked capacities of triggering acts of self-reflection, inspiring thoughts about who one presently is; memories of who one used to be or musings of who one might become. Using...

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Main Authors: Matanzima, Joshua, Saidi, Umali
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis (Routledge) 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2020.1777839
http://hdl.handle.net/11408/3770
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author Matanzima, Joshua
Saidi, Umali
author_facet Matanzima, Joshua
Saidi, Umali
author_sort Matanzima, Joshua
collection DSpace
description Research has shown that there is an inextricable relationship between landscape, belonging and identity. Landscapes possess marked capacities of triggering acts of self-reflection, inspiring thoughts about who one presently is; memories of who one used to be or musings of who one might become. Using semiotics, the paper explores ethnic names, Basilwizi (BaTonga) and Goba (Shangwe) showing how these denote aspects of belonging and identity. These ethnic labels, Basilwizi and Goba, signify BaTonga and Shangwe cultural and historical connections to the Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe. Thus, the paper reveals that the BaTonga and Shangwe continue to negotiate for space as well as to characterise the ‘politics’ of what ‘landscape’ means. This provides one with knowledge of appreciating subtle historical and cultural factors attached to land reforms in general. Researchers used oral interviews and extensive document analysis as data gathering tools for the study.
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spelling ir-11408-37702022-06-27T13:49:06Z Landscape, belonging & identity in North-west Zimbabwe: a semiotic analysis Matanzima, Joshua Saidi, Umali Landscape Semiotics Identity Goba Basilwizi Zimbabwe Research has shown that there is an inextricable relationship between landscape, belonging and identity. Landscapes possess marked capacities of triggering acts of self-reflection, inspiring thoughts about who one presently is; memories of who one used to be or musings of who one might become. Using semiotics, the paper explores ethnic names, Basilwizi (BaTonga) and Goba (Shangwe) showing how these denote aspects of belonging and identity. These ethnic labels, Basilwizi and Goba, signify BaTonga and Shangwe cultural and historical connections to the Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe. Thus, the paper reveals that the BaTonga and Shangwe continue to negotiate for space as well as to characterise the ‘politics’ of what ‘landscape’ means. This provides one with knowledge of appreciating subtle historical and cultural factors attached to land reforms in general. Researchers used oral interviews and extensive document analysis as data gathering tools for the study. 2020-07-13T11:24:00Z 2020-07-13T11:24:00Z 2020 Article 1472-5843 https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2020.1777839 http://hdl.handle.net/11408/3770 en African Identities;p.1-19 open Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
spellingShingle Landscape
Semiotics
Identity
Goba
Basilwizi
Zimbabwe
Matanzima, Joshua
Saidi, Umali
Landscape, belonging & identity in North-west Zimbabwe: a semiotic analysis
title Landscape, belonging & identity in North-west Zimbabwe: a semiotic analysis
title_full Landscape, belonging & identity in North-west Zimbabwe: a semiotic analysis
title_fullStr Landscape, belonging & identity in North-west Zimbabwe: a semiotic analysis
title_full_unstemmed Landscape, belonging & identity in North-west Zimbabwe: a semiotic analysis
title_short Landscape, belonging & identity in North-west Zimbabwe: a semiotic analysis
title_sort landscape, belonging & identity in north-west zimbabwe: a semiotic analysis
topic Landscape
Semiotics
Identity
Goba
Basilwizi
Zimbabwe
url https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2020.1777839
http://hdl.handle.net/11408/3770
work_keys_str_mv AT matanzimajoshua landscapebelongingidentityinnorthwestzimbabweasemioticanalysis
AT saidiumali landscapebelongingidentityinnorthwestzimbabweasemioticanalysis