A homiletical-liturgical perspective on memoricide alluding to variegated re-membered memories

Abstract

This article seeks to provide homiletical-liturgical perspectives on memoricide, alluding to the graveness of variegated remembered memories. In light of current wars, the research highlights the need for constructive remembrance, especially when memoricide – the destructive process of erasing or killing someone’s memories – is evident. Two examples of memoricide are explored: the destruction of schools, religious buildings and heritage sites, and the phenomenon of land expropriation within the South African context. Memory is deeply intertwined with identity, sense-making and meaning-making endeavours. Moreover, the vivid memory of place and home – where memories are created – and the experience of displacement demand careful reflection. The research follows three phases, beginning with descriptive perspectives on memoricide and land expropriation. The argument progresses to ethical considerations, culminating in normative perspectives that underscore the critical role of place in shaping people’s memories. Drawing from Psalms 137–145, the concept of remembered space is explored, before concluding with strategic perspectives from a homiletical-liturgical viewpoint. It is my firm belief that faith communities have a vital role in addressing the injustices caused by memoricide, and their voice must not be silenced.

Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article concludes with a call to make Heritage Day an essential occasion for communicative remembrance, engaging in a present-past mode. The interplay between inheritance and heritage should hold a central place in these reflections.