One effect of Zimbabwe’s 2017 coup was to unleash a new wave of public engagement with the unresolved state repression of the 1980s, known as Gukurahundi. This wave was led by the ‘post-Gukurahundi generation’ and particularly by activists whose narratives of Gukurahundi were entwined with calls for a separate ‘Mthwakazi nation’. This article explores these activists’ stories of Gukurahundi and asks why they broke through into the public realm after decades of relative silence. It argues that Mthwakazi activists’ engagement relied on an interpretation of Gukurahundi not simply as a discrete historical event, but as the clearest expression of an ongoing ‘Grand Plan’ of ethnic marginalization. This narrative was foundational to the construction of a moral order that divided the country along ethnic and regional fault lines, ultimately legitimizing Mthwakazi nationalism. The paper roots this narrative’s emergence in two interrelated processes. Speaking to the role of silencing in keeping conflicts alive across generations, it examines how the ‘noisy silence’ that has surrounded Gukurahundi in both public and private has meant that Gukurahundi lingered as a readily available interpretative lens. This lens became meaningful when the second generation, faced with political and economic marginalization, was grappling for meaning and political belonging.

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“Gukurahundi 继续”：津巴布韦的暴力、记忆和 Mthwakazi 激进主义

津巴布韦 2017 年政变的一个影响是引发了新一波公众参与 1980 年代悬而未决的国家镇压，即 Gukurahundi。这股浪潮是由“后 Gukurahundi 一代”领导的，尤其是活动家，他们对 Gukurahundi 的叙述与呼吁建立一个独立的“Mthwakazi 国家”交织在一起。本文探讨了这些活动家关于 Gukurahundi 的故事，并询问为什么他们在相对沉默数十年后闯入公共领域。它认为，Mthwakazi 活动家的参与依赖于对 Gukurahundi 的解释，不仅仅是一个离散的历史事件，而且是正在进行的种族边缘化“宏伟计划”的最清晰表达。这种叙述是建立道德秩序的基础，这种道德秩序将国家划分为种族和地区断层线，最终使 Mthwakazi 民族主义合法化。本文将这种叙述的出现归结于两个相互关联的过程。谈到沉默在保持几代人之间的冲突中的作用，它研究了在公共和私人场合围绕 Gukurahundi 的“喧闹的沉默”如何意味着 Gukurahundi 作为一个现成的解释镜头徘徊。当面临政治和经济边缘化的第二代正在努力争取意义和政治归属时，这个镜头变得有意义。它审视了在公共场合和私人场合围绕 Gukurahundi 的“嘈杂寂静”如何意味着 Gukurahundi 作为一个随时可用的解释镜头徘徊。当面临政治和经济边缘化的第二代正在努力争取意义和政治归属时，这个镜头变得有意义。它审视了在公共场合和私人场合围绕 Gukurahundi 的“嘈杂寂静”如何意味着 Gukurahundi 作为一个随时可用的解释镜头徘徊。当面临政治和经济边缘化的第二代正在努力争取意义和政治归属时，这个镜头变得有意义。