The magical hour of midnight

the annual commemorations of Rhodesia's and Transkei's independence days

Josiah Brownell

pp. 243-276

in: Kenneth Kalu, Toyin Falola (eds), Exploitation and misrule in colonial and postcolonial Africa, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2019

Abstract

Brownell's chapter explores the symbolism and the multiple political meanings behind the official celebrations and commemorations of the Rhodesian and Transkeian regimes' Independence Days. Unlike the growing literature on the important role of national day commemorations in the creation and reinforcement of national identity in established states, little has been written on the role of national days in performing sovereignty in unrecognized states. Brownell argues that these regimes' aesthetic choices about how their Independence Days looked and sounded were used as opportunities to communicate to various audiences the natures of these aspirant states, what kinds of states they wanted to be associated with and distinguished from, and how these regimes thought their states would fit into postcolonial Africa and the wider world community.