Heritage–A conceptually evolving and dissonant phenomenon: Implications for heritage management and education practices in post-colonial Southern Africa

This conceptual paper is based on experiences and insights which have emerged from my quest to develop a conceptual framework for working with the term ‘heritage’ within an education for sustainable development study that I am currently conducting. Of specific interest to me, and having potential to improve the relevance and quality of heritage education in southern Africa, given the region’s inherent cultural diversity and colonial history, is the need for ‘heritage construct inclusivity’ within the processes constituting heritage education practices. Working around this broad research goal, I therefore needed to be clear about what I mean or refer to as heritage. I realised, however, how elusive and conceptually problematic the term ‘heritage’ is. I therefore, drawing from literature and experiences gained during field observations and focus group interviews, came up with the idea of working with three viewpoints of heritage. Drawing on real life cases I argue that current heritage management and education practices’ failure to recognise and respect the evolving, interconnectedness and multi layered nature of heritage, partly explain the same practices’ lack of relevance and agency to enhance the sustainable management of local heritage resources. I also suggest a few ideas which heritage educators in the context of post-colonial southern Africa may need to consider in their everyday heritage education practices. I also introduce the notion of conceptualising heritage as ‘cultural landscapes’, within which the evolving, dissonant and interconnected nature of heritage, and associated heritage constructs, may be reconciled

Heritage–A conceptually evolving and dissonant phenomenon

This conceptual paper is based on experiences and insights which have emerged from my quest to develop a conceptual framework for working with the term ‘heritage’ within an education for sustainable development study that I am currently conducting. Of specific interest to me, and having potential to improve the relevance and quality of heritage education in southern Africa, given the region’s inherent cultural diversity and colonial history, is the need for ‘heritage construct inclusivity’ within the processes constituting heritage education practices. Working around this broad research goal, I therefore needed to be clear about what I mean or refer to as heritage. I realised, however, how elusive and conceptually problematic the term ‘heritage’ is. I therefore, drawing from literature and experiences gained during field observations and focus group interviews, came up with the idea of working with three viewpoints of heritage. Drawing on real life cases I argue that current heritage management and education practices’ failure to recognise and respect the evolving, interconnectedness and multi layered nature of heritage, partly explain the same practices’ lack of relevance and agency to enhance the sustainable management of local heritage resources. I also suggest a few ideas which heritage educators in the context of post-colonial southern Africa may need to consider in their everyday heritage education practices. I also introduce the notion of conceptualising heritage as ‘cultural landscapes’, within which the evolving, dissonant and interconnected nature of heritage, and associated heritage constructs, may be reconciled

Traditional food crops as a source of community resilience in Zimbabwe

This article draws on local narratives and observations of food sustenance practices in relocated farming communities in Sebakwe, Zimbabwe. Local knowledge on traditional food crops and related agricultural practices was proven to be a source of local community resilience, enabling residents to sustain their livelihoods. Local community agency in maintaining, cultivating and processing traditional food crops was found to sustain their culture and livelihoods, thereby providing community resilience in a changing environment

Local Knowledge as a Source of Community Resilience: IKS community Development and Resilience

Local knowledge can serve a source of local community resilience that provides an enabling capacity for people to sustain their livelihoods and adapt to environmental changes or new environments. This knowledge was evidenced as capable of resurfacing when contingent opportunities arise. This contribution draws upon case studies of emerging self-mobilised social learning processes in the recollection and application of agricultural knowledge as revealed in immigrant gardeners' narratives in New York City, United States and narratives from relocated farming communities in Sebakwe, Zimbabwe. In these narratives the communities draw upon their reserves of local knowledge to respond to changes within their local environments. Such knowledge can serve as a source of community resilience through enabling people to sustain their livelihoods and community wellbeing, and thus adapt to environmental changes and displacement