Forced Migrant Counter Cultural (Co)Productions

Abstract

This article investigates the dynamics of knowledge co-creation through the lens of documentary filmmaking on forced migrants in South Africa. Both narration and the documentary film became potent modes of knowledge co-production drawing in empirical research done in South Africa in 2022. Which illuminates how cultural productions contribute to shaping our understanding of forced migration and its associated challenges. Emphasising the prevalence of anti-migrant rhetoric in South Africa, and the prevalence of violence meted out against (forced) African migrant workers, the article identifies parallels with global discourses surrounding migrancy, where false nationalisms vilify migrants as scapegoats for societal issues. Central to the overarching claim of the article is the integration of border theory as an epistemological framework. We centralise the 'bodily border' as the ultimate marker of differentiation as 'recognising strangers' through which violence is enacted as well as death. We unpack the makings and framework of the nationalist discourse in South Africa that targets (forced) African migrants. One rooted in citizenship without content, lacerated Pan-Africanism through colonial borders and bodily borders among others. We then reflect on the co-production of the documentary film, not only as a counter narrative to the overwhelming anti-immigration discourse but also co-meaning about notions of home for African forced migrants in South Africa. Consequently, the article contends that the incorporation of border theory into knowledge co-creation not only enriches our comprehension of forced migration but also serves as a catalyst for reshaping societal narratives, moving towards a more cohesive and integrated Africa.