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EN
ES
FR
Réf.
41845
Type
conference item
Titre
Ziwa National Monument: Its significance to the local people Hangs delicately in the balance
Langues
English
Auteurs
Shumba, Missias
Date
2003
Pagination de section
1-4
Titre de conférence
14th ICOMOS General Assembly and International Symposium: ‘Place, memory, meaning: preserving intangible values in monuments and sites’
Lieu de conférence
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Date de conférence
27 – 31 oct 2003
Mots-clés
economic development / intangible heritage / historic monuments / economic aspects / social aspects / historic buildings / tourism management / economic value / interpretation / local communities / cultural significance / tourist industry
Pays mentionnés
Zimbabwe
Monuments et sites
Ziwa National Monument, Zimbabwe
Résumé en anglais
The discussion in this paper explains why the presentgenerations of communities surrounding Ziwa National
Monument (a 17th century agricultural settlement innorth-eastern Zimbabwe) have very little reverence and
respect towards the traditional sacredness of the site. Thepaper shows that for a long time during the pre-colonial
period and for some decades well into the 1900s, Ziwawas an important spiritual and cultural centre and the
local people attached high traditional values and lookedto it for their identity and ethnic origin. The crux of the
discussion points to successive episodes of change mainlyin the regional and global political and socio-economic
trends over the past two centuries as the main reason forthe present phenomenon of community attitude towards
the site. Coupled with this the development and growthof diverse perceptions especially those associated with the
spread of Christianity and other ideas orchestrated byWesternisation and Globalisation may be blamed for the
contemporary status quo. National Museums andMonume
nts of Zimbabwe (hereafter NMMZ) siteconservation policy is also cited among the factors that
contribute to the lack of preservation of the site’sintangible values. It is in the light of this background
therefore that efforts should be made to promote arestoration of the old traditional values among the local
people so as to enhance effective conservation practices atthe monument.
Monument (a 17th century agricultural settlement innorth-eastern Zimbabwe) have very little reverence and
respect towards the traditional sacredness of the site. Thepaper shows that for a long time during the pre-colonial
period and for some decades well into the 1900s, Ziwawas an important spiritual and cultural centre and the
local people attached high traditional values and lookedto it for their identity and ethnic origin. The crux of the
discussion points to successive episodes of change mainlyin the regional and global political and socio-economic
trends over the past two centuries as the main reason forthe present phenomenon of community attitude towards
the site. Coupled with this the development and growthof diverse perceptions especially those associated with the
spread of Christianity and other ideas orchestrated byWesternisation and Globalisation may be blamed for the
contemporary status quo. National Museums andMonume
nts of Zimbabwe (hereafter NMMZ) siteconservation policy is also cited among the factors that
contribute to the lack of preservation of the site’sintangible values. It is in the light of this background
therefore that efforts should be made to promote arestoration of the old traditional values among the local
people so as to enhance effective conservation practices atthe monument.
Document joint
B2_-_1_-_Missias.pdfLicence
Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (BY-NC-ND)
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