TY - CPAPER
KW - Economic and social development (THE\_5342)
KW - Nonformal education (THE\_5080)
KW - Rapid sociocultural change (ICH\_1080)
KW - Zimbabwe (ZW)
AU - Seke Katsamudanga
AB - The incompleteness of cultural heritage without the inclusion of intangible heritage can not be overemphasised. The norms (behaviours, rules etc) and values (ideas and/or belief systems) a society ascribes to its cultural heritage determine its importance. Preserving intangible heritage is crucial for communities still practising their traditions, but might be an elusive undertaking as only the intangible heritage connected to visible physical remains can be identified. The Zimbabwean government recently gave more powers to chiefs, and consequently we have been seeing a series of documentaries on traditional practices on the national television station. Each chiefdom wants to show its identity, and most call for being accorded rights to practise traditional ceremonies even at sites that are now national monuments. This is quite proper and is in line with the concept of African renaissance. From a heritage management point of view, however, the problem comes when nomination for monument status has to be considered. Which shrine or place should be nominated and what is the significance of that for the nation? What cultural perception does the nominator has over the invisible significance? This paper intends to look at the dilemmas of preserving intangible heritage in the face of changing cultural perceptions in Zimbabwe. It is quite unfortunate that major historical developments have been antithetical to the preservation of traditional cultural values in Africa. The kind of education and the historical legacy left by colonial dogma is still affecting the preservation of intangible itineraries. The struggle in the management of intangible heritage in Zimbabwe is also a mirror of the struggles between the old and the young. It is also a struggle between the idealism of the past and the materialism of the present.
N2 - The incompleteness of cultural heritage without the inclusion of intangible heritage can not be overemphasised. The norms (behaviours, rules etc) and values (ideas and/or belief systems) a society ascribes to its cultural heritage determine its importance. Preserving intangible heritage is crucial for communities still practising their traditions, but might be an elusive undertaking as only the intangible heritage connected to visible physical remains can be identified. The Zimbabwean government recently gave more powers to chiefs, and consequently we have been seeing a series of documentaries on traditional practices on the national television station. Each chiefdom wants to show its identity, and most call for being accorded rights to practise traditional ceremonies even at sites that are now national monuments. This is quite proper and is in line with the concept of African renaissance. From a heritage management point of view, however, the problem comes when nomination for monument status has to be considered. Which shrine or place should be nominated and what is the significance of that for the nation? What cultural perception does the nominator has over the invisible significance? This paper intends to look at the dilemmas of preserving intangible heritage in the face of changing cultural perceptions in Zimbabwe. It is quite unfortunate that major historical developments have been antithetical to the preservation of traditional cultural values in Africa. The kind of education and the historical legacy left by colonial dogma is still affecting the preservation of intangible itineraries. The struggle in the management of intangible heritage in Zimbabwe is also a mirror of the struggles between the old and the young. It is also a struggle between the idealism of the past and the materialism of the present.
TI - The dilemma of preserving intangible heritage in Zimbabwe
ER -