UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Memory, Heritage, and Cultural Display in the Former Colonial Port Cities of Elmina (Ghana) and Fort Kochi (India) Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8r99s82c Author Jeychandran, Neelima Publication Date 2014 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Memory, Heritage, and Cultural Display in the Former Colonial Port Cities of Elmina (Ghana) and Fort Kochi (India) A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Culture and Performance by Neelima Jeychandran 2014 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Memory, Heritage, and Cultural Display in the Former Colonial Port Cities of Elmina (Ghana) and Fort Kochi (India) by Neelima Jeychandran Doctor of Philosophy in Culture and Performance University of California, Los Angeles, 2014 Professor Mary Nooter Roberts, Chair This dissertation discusses how residents, governments, and the international community continue to transform and recast two colonial port cities, Elmina in Ghana and Fort Kochi in India, as heritage sites and museums in order to represent particular histories. These sites act as repositories of memory, venues for community rituals, spaces for exhibitions, and backdrops for artistic productions. This exploration of these ports demonstrates the continued relevance and resonance of colonial heritage in postcolonies and exposes how knowledge of colonialism are produced and disseminated through the media of heritage and museums. Elmina and Fort Kochi are ideal case studies in part because of their similar historical trajectories, but principally because of their parallel contemporary existences. Both of these towns have been reconstituted as heritage destinations and are now exhibitionary landscapes with iii multiple museums, heritage homes, and archeological ruins. Furthermore, both are venues for recurring cultural performances and festivals. Their urban landscapes simultaneously exhibit colonial struggles, modern aspirations, and postcolonial predicaments. By analyzing the revitalization of history in Elmina and Fort Kochi, I show how these cities function as alternative archives that harbor submerged narratives of migration and cultural exchange through unique modes of museum display, both within and beyond the walls of the gallery spaces. iv The dissertation of Neelima Jeychandran is approved. Allen F. Roberts Janet M. O’Shea Saloni Mathur Mary Nooter Roberts, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2014 v Table of Contents Section I Points of Entry INTRODUCTION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 CHAPTER I: HISTORIES AND CONTEMPORARY CIRCUMSTANCES OF ELMINA AND FORT KOCHI ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 25 Section II Making Memory CHAPTER II: MNEMONIC LANDSCAPES: AFRO-ASIAN CONNECTIONS AND THE PRODUCTION OF MEMORIES ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 48 CHAPTER III: ELMINA: TOURISTS, TOUR GUIDES, AND ACTORS IN A THEATER OF MEMORIES------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 90 Section III Visual Representation CHAPTER IV: REINTERPRETING COLONIAL HISTORIES THROUGH CONTEMPORARY ART -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 132 CHAPTER V: ELMINA AND FORT KOCHI AS OPEN-AIR MUSEUMS------------------------------- 169 EPILOGUE ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 198 APPENDIX A--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 204 APPENDIX B--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 206 FIGURES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 208 BIBILIOGRAPHY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 246 vi List of Figures Figure No. Title Page No. 0: 1 Urban landscape of Elmina 1 0: 2 Townscape of Fort Kochi 1 0: 3 Seventeenth century Dutch map of Elmina 2 0: 4 Seventeenth century Dutch map of Fort Cochin 2 I: 1 Fort St. George Castle 27 I: 2 Fort St. Jago 28 I: 3 Interior of Elmina Castle 28 I: 4 Exterior of St. Francis Church 34 I: 5 Bastion Bungalow 35 Il: 1 The Shrine for Kappiri at Mangattumukku 52 Il: 2 Kappiri Shrine at Panayampilly 52 Il: 3 A Kaavu in Vypeen with Kappiri shrine 54 II: 4 Chinese Fishing Nets at Cochin 64 II: 5 Kappiri Temple in Thrissur 79 II: 6 Image of Kappiri 79 III: 1 Visitors in front of the condemned cells at Elmina Castle 91 III: 2 Essel Blankson with a group of Roots Tourist 101 III: 3 Essel Blankson in front of the Door of No Return at Cape 102 Coast Castle III: 4 Nana Mbroh’s house in the village of Koramantse 105 III: 5 Tourists in front of the Door of No Return at Elmina Castle 108 III: 6 Cultural Performances during PANAFEST 2013 117 vii III: 7 Elolo Gharbin’s theater company performing in PANAFEST 121 2013 III: 8 Kwamena Pra’s troupe performing inside the Cape Coast 125 Castle IV: 1 An old building at Fort Kochi with wall art 140 IV: 2 Vivan Sundaram’s “Black Gold” 141 IV: 3 Sundaram’s installation 141 IV: 4 Subodh Gupta’s installation 142 IV: 5 Heritage project created by Aman Mojadidi 142 IV: 6 Mojadidi’s excavation pit 142 IV: 7 “Kochi Tower” by Portuguese artist Rigo 23 143 IV: 8 Wooden figure that represents Kappiri 143 IV: 9 “Held” by Mary Evans 151 IV: 10 “Gingerbread” by Mary Evans 153 IV: 11 Participating in red-tapism 157 IV: 12 Bernard Akoi-Jackson’s performance piece 159 IV: 13 Hochimin P.H’s sculpture that represents Kappiri 163 IV: 14 Dinesh Shenoy in his gallery at Mattancherry 164 V: 1 Museum inside the Elmina Castle 177 V: 2 Elmina-Java Museum 178 V: 3 A Posuban or shrine of Asafo Company 179 V: 4 Indo-Portuguese Museum 184 V: 5 Maritime Museum 184 V: 6 Models of Vasco da Gama along with the Gujarati Pilot 185 V: 7 An antique store cum curio shop at Fort Kochi 187 viii Acknowledgements There are many people that I wish to thank, for without their help, guidance, and encouragements, this dissertation would not be possible. I owe a great deal to my wonderful dissertation chair and committee for their investment and faith in my work. First and foremost, I want to thank my advisor and mentor Professor Mary (Polly) Nooter Roberts who supported and inspired me all along and has played a crucial role in shaping my educational development. Dr. Roberts was instrumental in introducing me to literatures on memory and curating, and I learned a lifetime of skills by researching, traveling, and working with her. Above all, I truly appreciate her absolutely unwavering support. This dissertation began to take shape after a conversation with Professor Allen (Al) Roberts, who not only implanted the idea of a cross-continental study, but whose theoretical and methodological advice was vital to the development of this dissertation. His knowledge of and passion for African worlds in the Indian Ocean, among many other topics, has influenced several aspects of my research. Al Roberts is somebody I greatly admire and respect, and not only was he instrumental in shaping my research project and editing my dissertation, clearly he continues to be a beacon for my future work. Working with Janet O’Shea has also been an enriching experience, as she always opened her door to discuss my work in depth and to give me insightful feedback. Her incisive comments on my approach and writing were very helpful in formulating my ideas, and I am grateful to her for pushing me to think how cultures perform and are choreographed. Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to Saloni Mathur whose advice and guidance have been fundamental in directing my research interests towards museum studies. I feel very lucky to have worked and studied under her in ix many capacities since 2005. I cannot express how grateful I am for her guidance and for her investment in my project and myself. Aside from my committee members, I owe a great deal to several faculty members in UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance. I am extremely grateful to David Shorter for putting me into “writing mode.” He not only taught me how to write, but also showed me how to love the process. Other professors like Peter Nabokov and Aparna Sharma have always supported and guided me with warmth and criticality. I also want to thank Anurima Banerji, David Gere, Don Cosentino, Patrick Polk, and Angelia Leung, all of whom I had the pleasure of either working under as a teaching assistant or sharing extensive conversations. And I thank the wonderful staff of WAC/D, including Hayley Safonov, Mimi Moorhead, Daniel Millner, Arsenio Apillanes, Lilian Wu, and Lynn Tatum, for being very helpful and forthcoming. I am grateful for the financial support that I received from various granting agencies. Special thanks to Ann and Jerry Moss for funding the initial years of my graduate dissertation; without their grant, living in Los Angeles and continuing graduate school would have been impossible. My dissertation research would not have been possible without funding from by the Fowler Museum at UCLA and the Council on Library and Information Resources