Challenges to the retention of the integrity of World Heritage Sites in Africa: the case of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara, Tanzania

ABSTRACT

For World Heritage Sites (WHS) to be sustainable, they need regular care and established Management Plans. Such care depends, however, upon the availability of resources (both technical and financial) and the readiness and commitment of government, together with the involvement of other stakeholders such as local communities. The application of this care results in the continued survival of WHS despite the anthropogenic and natural threats that they face. Recent research carried out at the cultural WHS of the Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara, Tanzania, indicates that, although significant financial resources have been given to address various conservation and management challenges, the Tanzanian government has not fully committed itself to resolving these challenges and has not fully involved local communities in sustainably managing the sites. Moreover, in the process of implementing conservation projects, archaeological deposits, which, like architectural structures, form part of the site’s Outstanding Universal Values (OUV), have been destroyed. Despite these shortcomings, UNESCO has removed the Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara WHS from the World Heritage List (WHL) of sites in danger. We present an analysis of what is needed to retain WHS integrity in conditions that are far from optimal. We suggest that multi-focused WHS conservation projects that adhere to established Management Plans, aided by professional advice, are critical to preserving these sites for posterity.

RÉSUMÉ

Pour que les sites du patrimoine mondial (World Heritage Sites, WHS) soient durables, ils nécessitent un entretien régulier et des plans de gestion établis. Cependant, ces soins dépendent de la disponibilité des ressources (et techniques et financières) et de la volonté et de l'engagement des gouvernements, ainsi que de la participation d'autres parties prenantes, telles que les communautés locales. L’entretien permet la survie de ces sites malgré les menaces anthropiques et naturelles auxquelles ils sont confrontés. Des recherches récentes effectuées sur les sites du patrimoine mondial des ruines de Kilwa Kisiwani et de Songo Mnara, en Tanzanie, indiquent que, bien que des ressources financières importantes aient été allouées pour résoudre divers problèmes de conservation et de gestion, le gouvernement tanzanien ne s’est pas complètement engagé à résoudre ces défis et n'a pas pleinement impliqué les communautés locales dans la gestion durable des sites. En outre, dans le cadre de la mise en œuvre de projets de conservation, des dépôts archéologiques — qui font partie des valeurs universelles exceptionnelles du site (Outstanding Universal Values, OUV) au même titre que les structures architecturales — ont été détruits. Malgré ces lacunes, l'UNESCO a ôté les Ruines de Kilwa Kisiwani et les Ruines de Songo Mnara de la Liste du Patrimoine Mondial des sites en danger. Nous présentons ici une analyse de ce qui est nécessaire pour conserver l'intégrité exigée d’un site du patrimoine mondial dans des conditions qui sont loin d'être optimales. Nous suggérons que les projets de conservation multi-ciblés qui respectent les plans de gestion établis, aidés par des conseils professionnels, sont essentiels pour préserver ces sites pour la postérité.

KEYWORDS:

• Kilwa Kisiwani
• Songo Mnara
• UNESCO
• World Heritage Sites
• Management Plan
• conservation of cultural heritage

Acknowledgements

An earlier version of this paper was presented in 2014 at the University of Dar es Salaam Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies seminar series. Our thanks go to the seminar co-ordinator and members of staff in the department. We are indebted to the Tanzania Media Foundation (TMF) and the University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) for financial support of our research and the Department of Antiquities for providing various research permits. Jeffrey Fleisher and Sam Makuvaza gave constructive comments on our earlier paper draft; we thank them very much. We should also like to thank our research participants from Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara and the Antiquities officers stationed at Kilwa Masoko. Insights and criticism from reviewers were very helpful in shaping the paper. Finally, we appreciate the editorial assistance of Peter Robertshaw.

Notes on contributors

Elgidius B. Ichumbaki is a Lecturer in Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He obtained his BA in Culture and Heritage and MA in Archaeology from the University of Dar es Salaam in 2008 and 2012 respectively. His doctoral degree completed in 2015 was obtained via a sandwich model at the University of Dar es Salaam and Roskilde University (Denmark).

Bertram B. Mapunda is a Professor of Archaeology and History at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He obtained his BA in Archaeology from the University of Dar es Salaam and his PhD (1995) from the University of Florida. His research and publications focus on archaeometallurgy, public archaeology, heritage management and social history.

ORCID

Elgidius B. Ichumbaki http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9841-1753

Notes

1. Quarrying of coral stones from ruins occurs only at Kilwa Kisiwani where local people live very close to the monuments. There is no quarrying of coral stone from the ruins at Songo Mnara because the village is 2.4 km away (Pradines and Blanchard 2005).

2. Interview and discussions with two members of the Ruins Committee (Said Hamis and Kuruthum Ahmad) and the current Village Chairman of Kilwa Kisiwani, Said Mohamed Kairo, 27 August 2016.

3. Stephane Pradines undertook limited salvage work at Songo Mnara and published the results of those excavations tied to conservation work (http://swahili.hypotheses.org/songo-mnara). Much appreciation goes to the World Monument Fund (WMF), which funded an archaeologist to work alongside the conservation team and undertake further assessments (Pearson 2013). We therefore acknowledge that WMF did show some interest in the archaeology and worked actively to mitigate possible destruction caused by conservation work.

4. Focus group discussions with the Ruins Committee members of Kilwa Kisiwani (Said Mohamed Kairo, Said Hamis and Kuruthum Ahmed) 27 August 2016; interview with Lukia Yusuph and Mariam Abubakari of Kilwa Kisiwani 31 July 2016 and interview with Said Amri Said of Songo Mnara 28 August 2016.