Paper short abstract:

This paper offers an account of the experience of South African migrants and refugees in Botswana during the apartheid era. By discussing their life histories, this work aims to show how memory has shaped migrants’ and refugees’ identity and the way they related to the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ country.

Paper long abstract:

The aim of this presentation is to discuss the role of memory in shaping and transforming migrants and refugees' dual identity and 'sense of home'. Since the late 1950s until 1994 during the apartheid era thousands of South Africans left their country to move abroad. For many refugees and migrants, the neighbouring country of Botswana was a corridor towards other African territories or overseas states; for some, Botswana would become a permanent solution and a new home. Having lived and integrated in the new country for a number of decades, former refugees and migrants ended up developing a dual sense of identity, towards Botswana and towards South Africa, as well as a dual sense of belonging. Memory also contributed to the development of this dual attachment towards the country where they were born, as well as the country where they have lived most of their lives. Memory therefore becomes the means through which retaining a connection with the country of origin, connection that is built on the basis of kinship ties (relatives still living there), feelings of affection (having South African identity and home) and transnational links (frequent trips back and forth between the two countries for different reasons). But memory also helped former migrants and refugees to establish networks and a sense of community, especially during the years of apartheid. The identities of refugees and migrants bound them within solidarity ties in the name of the common struggle against discrimination.