Cartographies of Erasure: Epistemic Violence and the Restorationist Dilemma in Zimbabwe

Post colonial state-making in Zimbabwe was not a return to pre-colonial traditions - spatial and
governance practices (which are inextricably entwined) that were erased by colonizers were not
restored. On the contrary, it was a transfer of power to nationalists while retaining and
perpetuating conventions of nation-state-making that fit into global norms. Examples of this are
plentiful, including but not limited to; traditional chiefs being appointees of the government,
bureaucratic practices of surveillance and record keeping; marriage, death, and births registry etc
(Chigwata 2016.) Unlike other African countries, there was no restoration of traditional royal
households, like the House of Khumalo - agitation has been rising for the restoration of both the
royal household and the Kingdom of Mthwakazi (Matare 2025.) If anything, the government of Zimbabwe continuously attacks and seeks to delegitimise the house of Khumalo. The core question of this paper
is; Can pre-colonial polities like Mthwakazi claim nation-statehood and sovereignty under the
contemporary world order (West-Phalian justificatory frameworks)? This paper will also analyse how the
imagined nation of Mthwakazi which is sustained through restorationist discourses , oral history
and claims of cultural homogeneity gets mapped into a physical space which is territorial and is
represented on maps. I will highlight inconsistencies and incompatibilities between
the imagined and the pragmatic which give key insights into the political problems of spaces and
maps.