We the objects: Of home and community in Fatou Diome's Kétala
Video Arts & Humanities 2025 Graduate ExhibitionPresentation by Marina Dikosso-Bebe
Exhibition Number 521
Abstract
Handkerchief, TV, necklace, statue, watch: these are some of the objects and characters featured in Senegalese author Fatou Diome’s Kétala. Published in 2006, the novel centers on Mémoria, a young Senegalese woman, and on her migration journey with her belongings until her death in Senegal. While awaiting the Kétala, the Senegalese traditional practice of sharing the possessions of deceased individuals, Mémoria’s belongings take on a unique role, recounting memories of her and retracing her quest for home. In this way, Mémoria’s journey, intertwined with that of her belongings, reflects how objects can hold memories and serve as anchors for immigrant women searching for a home. This paper examines the connection between migrant women and their objects, and how these possessions come together to create a sense of home for them. Specifically, I argue that the lasting effects of the relationship between Mémoria and her belongings lie in the fact that they come together to form a community in which Mémoria influences the objects and vice-versa by sharing the same spaces. To do so, I first examine the objects as migrants themselves, looking at how their experiences contribute to making them a home for Mémoria. Then, I analyze how Mémoria created a space for the objects, enabling them to interact with her and other belongings. Ultimately, such space is crucial as both marginalized groups, a Black woman/migrant and objects, challenge the notion of not belonging in particular settings.
Importance
Historically, Black women’s voices were absent from discourse of migration, and they were perceived as lacking agency. Nowadays, even when women do speak, their voices often remain unheard and excluded from mainstream discussions. For these reasons, the proposed research aims to highlight how Black women migrants can actively reclaim their narratives. By focusing on Fatou Diome's Kétala, this project examines how women migrants create alternative avenues for storytelling and ways of knowing that diverge from dominant narratives, thereby creating spaces for themselves where they belong.