Description
The bombing at Manchester Arena in 2017 is certainly an event that will be in the memory of the Mancunians forever. As a way to deal with such a traumatic event, part of the government's initiative was to relaunch the image of the Manchester Bee. The bee, which also represents the city's hardworking past, has become a symbol of resistance, unity and solidarity with the victims and their families. After the bombing, the bee quickly gained people's hearts and bodies: Manchester studios tattooed 10,000 people with bees to raise money for the victims of the attack. Tattoos have been the subject of discussions throughout their history - being symbols of repression of liberation and social identification, for example. In this study, I explore the relationship between politics of memory and tattooing practices. Based on the work of Deleuze and Guattari, I argue that bodies are more than the product of social realities. Through tattooing practices, bodies are deterritorialized and reterritorialized into a agent of memory and political struggle.Taking into account the case of the Manchester bombing in 2017, I argue that the bee symbol represents both the Mancunian government's attempt to restore ‘normality’ to a traumatic situation and people's desire to never forget what happened.
