Memory Matters: Journeys in the British Congolese diaspora

What is memory and why does it matter? How is the recovery of past histories relevant to understand the present? What links individual sense of identity and feelings of belonging to a community, culture or heritage? Through an exploration of different ‘matters’ – such as home, heritage, identity and memory – this book attempts to address some of these questions. The book draws upon a unique collaboration, the Memory Matters project, a partnership between a Congolese refugee group (CORECOG, London) and an academic institution (the University of Kent, UK). The overall aim of the Memory Matters project was to explore notions of ‘home’, identities and belongings in the African diaspora, with a particular focus on the Congolese postcolonial memory and heritage. It involved young British Congolese residing in London as well as researchers, academics, visual artists, heritage and museum experts.