Remembering a Polish refugee camp in Mbala,Zambia: Community initiatives,excavations,museum exhibitions and local memories

Abstract

The history of Polish refugee camps in Zambia during the Second World War remains an understudied subject, with limited scholarship on the fate of these settlements after the war. This article examines the former Polish refugee camp in Mbala, demonstrating that its history persists in local memory despite its abandonment (by 1950) and later transformation into residential plots (by the 1990s). Unlike other Polish refugee sites in Zambia that have largely faded from public consciousness, Mbala’s camp continues to be remembered through place names, preserving portions of the former camp, oral history traditions, and museum activities, including exhibitions and research. Drawing on archival sources, oral testimonies, and museum activities in Mbala, this article argues that Mbala’s unique socio-historical context, characterised by its relatively slow urbanisation and the role of local custodians of memory, has facilitated the continued remembrance of the camp. The study highlights how local communities engage with and sustain historical narratives even in the absence of formal national commemoration. By exploring these processes of remembrance, the article contributes to broader discussions on post-war refugee histories, contested memories, and the politics of memorialisation in Africa.