"I am Coloured": The Memoir as a Decolonial Methodology
Date
2022-09-16
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Arts Research Africa
Abstract
This paper explores the shift from a “definitive” to a “descriptive”
approach in the context of the coloured identity narrative. It
reflects on the challenges of critiquing and redefining coloured
culture and identity while still using language that reinforces
existing tropes. The author argues for a move towards the
descriptive, which allows for a decolonial perspective and selfarticulation.
The text discusses the use of autoethnography
and the creation of a production called (Un)becoming, where
personal narratives were explored. It also suggests that
published memoirs, such as Sorry, Not Sorry, Because I Couldn’t
Kill You, and Ougat, contribute to disrupting normative cultural
constraints and offer a decolonizing perspective.