African Cultural Heritage and the World Heritage Convention
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AFRICAN CIJlTUR.AL HERITAGE AND THE \VORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION FIRST GLOBAL STRATEGYMEETJNG HARARE (!l·B OCTOBER 1995) DAWSON MlJr.. UERI WEBBER NDORO CATHER!NE S!8ANDA GAllA SAOUMA-FORERO lAURENT LEVI-STRAUSS, l.UPW!SHI MBiJYAMBA, EDITORS /_.----::.-:....;;:.... ./.~-~:-. .~ '","":" "j<., ......................... f .' ,.h \,¥ li \ .. ~~ ...... ----.. -.......... --............ -... -................ --.... ---.......... ----............... --.-------... -.-.--.. -.......... ---...------ ( ,.:;- . [.; )The National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe ----................... \. '.: __ .• :~~.~,._ .._,y. :I .... --.. _-- ......... --..................... ---..... THIS MEETING WAS FUNDED BY THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEEllNDER THE W'ORLD HERITAGE FUN1) Cover: Rock Pailltillg ill Charelm, Ilear Mwoko ill Zimbabwe. All elephant with mop-ears and covered with white lines is surrounded by dancers. TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD WELCOMING REMARKS BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS OF ZIMBABWE DAWSON MUNJERI ................................................................................................5 OFFICIAL OPENING BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS DUMISO DABENGWA .......................... 6 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE UNESCO REPRESENTATIVE IN HARARE ANDERSON SHANKANGA .......................... 8 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ......................•...•.••••••..•...............••.•....•...........•....•••.•..•........••••.••••••••.... 10 KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF ICOMOS ROLAND SILVA .................................. 11 CULTURAL HERITAGE AND THE 1972 CONVENTION: DEFINITION AND EVOLUTION OF A CONCEPT BY LEON PRESSOUYRE............................•.•... 13 DISCUSSIONS .................................................................................•................................................20 ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE ......................................................................................................21 -ARCHAELOGICAL HERITAGE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. A SOUTHERN AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE BY JANETTE DEACON....................................... 22 -ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE OF ZAMBIA. A STATUS PROFILE BY N. M. KATANEKWA ........................................................................................35 DISCUSSIONS ..................................................................................................................................41 TRADITIONAL KNOW-HOW AND TECHNICAL HERITAGE ............................................................42 -MALAGASY TRADITIONAL SKILLS AND TECHNICAL HERITAGE BY A. RAFOLO ..................................................................................................43 DISCUSSIONS .................................................................................................................................. 50 RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL HERITAGE ........................................................................................51 SPIRIT OF THE PEOPLE, NERVE OF HERITAGE BY DAWSON MUNJERI ........................................................................................................52 ROYAL AND FUNERAL TREES IN BURUNDI BY LAURENCE NIYONKURU ..............................................................................................59 FROM NATURE TO THE SPIRITS IN AFRICAN HERITAGES BY MICHEL LE BERRE AND LAMBERT MESSAN ............................................................65 DISCUSSIONS ..................................................................................................................................72 HUMAN SETILEMENTS ..................................................................................................................73 1 AFRICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION BY MOHAMAN HAMAN .......................................................................... 74 FROM MANAGING NATURAL AREAS TO AFRICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE BY MICHEL LE BERRE AND LAMBERT MESSAN ..........•.........•....•.....•.......... 78 HUMAN SETTLEMENT, AGRARIAN LANDSCAPES AND LAND USE BY SHAJE TSHILUILA ..........................................................................................................86 THE HERITAGE OF AFRICAN SETTLEMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA BY PATRICIA DAVIDSON ......................................................................................................90 DiSCUSSiONS•......••........•.•..•.•........•.....•... .............................................................................96 CULTURAL ITINERARIES AND EXCHANGE ROUTES .•.••••••••••..•••••••••••••...••••••••••••••••.••.••••••••••••••• 97 CULTURAL ITINERARIES AND EXCHANGE ROUTES BY ISABEL DE CASTRO HENRIQUES ................................................................................98 DISCUSSIONS APPENDIX I WORKING GROUP ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE .................................................. 104 WORKING GROUP ON HUMAN SETTLEMENTS .............................................................. 105 WORKING GROUP ON RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL HERITAGE .................................... 106 WORKING GROUP ON TRADITIONAL KNOW·HOW AND TECHNICAL Hr RITAGE ...... 108 WORKING GROUP ON CULTURAL ITINERARIES AND EXCHANGE ROUTES .............. 109 APPENDIX n RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................................... 111 APPENDIXm LIST OF PARTICIPANTS ...................................................................................................... 113 2 The scientific conception and preparation of the Harare meeting was set up by a scientific committee which met at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 9 June 1995. This scientific committee was composed of: Prof. Isabel de Castro Henriques Centre for the African Studies University of Literature of Lisbon Prof. Jean Devisse Professor Emeritus of the University of Paris 1 Editor in Chief of the UNESCO's General History of Africa Mr. Mohaman Haman, ICOMOS Prof. Michel Le Berre University Claude Bernard Lyon-1 Dr. Laurent Levi-Strauss, UNESCO-WHC Mr Jean-Louis Luxen Secretary General of ICOMOS H.E. Lambert Messan Ambassador Permanent Delegate of Niger to UNESCO Prof. Leon Pressouyre Vice-President of the Univeristy of Paris 1 Ms. Galia Saouma-Forero, UNESCO-WHC Special thanks are to be paid to Professor Jean Devisse and to Mr. Dawson Munjeri for their invaluable assistance to the scientific preparation of the October meeting. 3 OPENING REMARKS 4 WELCOMING REMARKS BY THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS OF ZIMBABWE AND CO- ORDINATOR OF THE WORLD HERITAGE CONFERENCE. DAWSON MUNJERI Ladies and Gentlemen, Mine is the simplest of tasks; for those coming from outside our borders, we extend to you a hearty welcome to Zimbabwe; for those coming from within the borders, we welcome you to these deliberations. The sheer magnitude of convening a meeting of this nature, bringing together people from nineteen countries implies that all cannot be smooth sailing. For any problems that you may have had we deeply apologise. Similarly we give you credit for all the solutions to those problems. That you have chosen Zimbabwe as a venue for this Conference is reason enough for us to be proud and we have accepted the challenge with all the consequences that go with that challenge. These may be in form of errors of both commission and omission. Supreme in our minds is the acceptance of the fact that on Zimbabwean soil has converged the supremos of the cultural heritage industry. While this carries with it certain responsibilities, the residual effects are most certainly going to be beneficial to Zimbabwe. The collective thoughts and contributions emanating from' the gathering of the eminents' will leave us richly endowed with the best that the world has to offer. By the same vein, through an inevitable osmosic process we are confident you will be able to take in the little that we have to offer. It is quite a tight programme but I know the constructive spirit within us is the dynamo that will drive us to produce the fruits and deliver the goods. Once again WELCOME ABOARD 5 APDRESS BY THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS HON. DUMISO DABENGWA President of ICOMOS Dr. Roland Silva UNESCO Representative in Zimbabwe Representative of Donor Agencies Members of Diplomatic Corps Chairman of Board of Trustees and Management of NMMZ Distinguished Guests Ladies and Gentlemen On this auspicious occasion it is my singular honour and privilege to have been given the pleasant task of officially opening this meeting. The Government of Zimbabwe is in empathy with goals and objectives of this meeting. In particular we wholeheartedly endorse your principled commitment to see to it that Africa 's cultural heritage assumes it's rightful place in the global heritage. After all, it is a fact that Africa is the cradle of both Homo Sapiens and one of the earliest civilisations, that of Egypt. As you deliberate, it is our earnest hope that you put to the fore those issues that have led to the present anomalous position whereby only seventeen out of four hundred and forty sites are on the World Heritage List. To redress that anomaly is easier said than done. The criterion that you shall use to make such judgement is crucial in the whole exercise. Looking at the composition of the participants, I am convinced that there will be less rhetoric and more practical solutions. I must underscore the fact that the problem is REAL. Never before has such an opportunity presented itself and therefore we should never allow it to escape, otherwise posterity will judge us very harshly. Mr.