MEMORY, NOSTALGIA AND EXILIC IDENTITY IN BEHROUZ BOOCHANI’S NO FRIEND BUT THE MOUNTAINS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i2.2024.3357Keywords:
Digital Media Censorship, Exilic Identity, Memory as Resistance, Reflective Nostalgia, Social Media, Trauma and SurvivalAbstract [English]
Behrouz Boochani’s No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison (2018) exemplifies the resilience of memory and nostalgia in the face of systemic oppression. Written under extreme duress and mediated through digital communication, the text serves as both an act of survival and a cry of resistance. This paper explores the interplay of memory, nostalgia and digital media in Boochani’s narrative, focusing on how these elements subvert censorship, preserve cultural identity, and challenge dehumanisation. Memory operates as a vital means of reconstructing identity, resisting erasure and preserving the collective experiences of Kurdish culture. Boochani’s fragmented recollections reflect the trauma of exile while simultaneously asserting his humanity against the mechanised cruelty of Manus Prison. Nostalgia, often tied to his homeland and traditions, becomes a double-edged sword—offering solace whilst exposing the profound loss of displacement. Drawing on Svetlana Boym’s concept of reflective nostalgia, the analysis examines how Boochani critiques both his current plight and the broader conditions of statelessness. Boochani’s use of WhatsApp to compose and transmit the text highlights the potential of technology to amplify marginalised voices and document resistance in real-time. The fragmented structure of the narrative mirrors its digital genesis, challenging conventional literary forms whilst underscoring the urgency of Boochani’s message. No Friend But the Mountains is seen as a profound literary intervention, intertwining memory, nostalgia and digital resistance to confront the violence of displacement and detention.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Khursheed Ahmad Qazi, Adil Hussain, Azra Akhtar
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