Pascall Taruvinga - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Pascall Taruvinga
Routledge eBooks, Oct 18, 2022
Stakeholder Perspectives on World Heritage and Development in Africa
Stakeholder Perspectives on World Heritage and Development in Africa
Stakeholder Perspectives on World Heritage and Development in Africa
Stakeholder Perspectives on World Heritage and Development in Africa
Stakeholder Perspectives on World Heritage and Development in Africa
Conversaciones con..., 2019
Cultural heritage in Africa is viewed as a local phenomenon embedded in the rich and diverse Indi... more Cultural heritage in Africa is viewed as a local phenomenon embedded in the rich and diverse Indigenous Knowledge Systems of local communities. It reflects the pioneering spirit and approaches of local communities in defining the localness and character of heritage. However, colonialism almost erased this localness in Africa through advancing the monumentality approach, further reinforced by the World Heritage concept until recent times. To address this issue, the authenticity concept was adopted as a way of restoring the localness and character of cultural heritage. Through this concept, the African cultural heritage provides local perspectives and insights into the discourse on authenticity. Robben Island World Heritage site (South Africa), offers cross-cutting local perspectives and insights on authenticity. This discussion emphasises understanding the dynamics between authenticity and inscription process, obtaining and safeguarding information sources, conservation, sustainable development and heritage curriculums. The paper recommends adopting a progressive and adaptive approach to broaden the concept of authenticity as a continuing process linked to the ever-changing cultural practices at the local, which gives birth to 'current authenticity'. This reinforces the importance of emerging local perspectives on authenticity and local communities in the future implementation of World Heritage in Africa.
Conversaciones con..., 2019
El patrimonio cultural en África se analiza como un fenómeno local embebido en los ricos y divers... more El patrimonio cultural en África se analiza como un fenómeno local embebido en los ricos y diversos Sistemas de Conocimiento Indígenas de las comunidades locales. Refleja el espíritu pionero y los enfoques de las comunidades locales para definir la localidad y el carácter del patrimonio. Sin embargo, el colonialismo prácticamente borró esta localidad en África con el posicionamiento del enfoque monumental, reforzado aún más por el concepto de Patrimonio Mundial hasta tiempos recientes. Para enfrentar el tema, se adoptó el concepto de autenticidad como una forma de restaurar la localidad y el carácter del patrimonio cultural. Mediante ese concepto, el patrimonio cultural africano provee perspectivas y conocimientos locales al discurso sobre autenticidad. El sitio de Patrimonio Mundial de Robben Island (Sudáfrica) ofrece perspectivas locales que se entrecruzan y percepciones sobre la autenticidad. Esta discusión enfatiza la comprensión de dinámicas entre la autenticidad y los procesos de inscripción, la obtención y salvaguarda de fuentes de información, conservación, desarrollo sostenible y programas universitarios sobre patrimonio. El presente artículo recomienda la adopción de un enfoque progresivo y adaptativo para ampliar el concepto de autenticidad como un proceso continuo, vinculado con las siempre cambiantes prácticas locales que dan paso a la "autenticidad actual". Esto refuerza la importancia de las perspectivas locales emergentes sobre autenticidad y las comunidades locales en el futuro de la implementación del Patrimonio Mundial en África.
Aspects of Management Planning for Cultural World Heritage Sites, 2017
Cultural heritage in Africa is viewed as a local phenomenon embedded in the rich and diverse Indi... more Cultural heritage in Africa is viewed as a local phenomenon embedded in the rich and diverse Indigenous Knowledge Systems of local communities. It reflects the pioneering spirit and approaches of local communities in defining the localness and character of heritage. However, colonialism almost erased this localness in Africa through advancing the monumentality approach, further reinforced by the World Heritage concept until recent times. To address this issue, the authenticity concept was adopted as a way of restoring the localness and character of cultural heritage. Through this concept, the African cultural heritage provides local perspectives and insights into the discourse on authenticity. Robben Island World Heritage site (South Africa), offers cross-cutting local perspectives and insights on authenticity. This discussion emphasises understanding the dynamics between authenticity and inscription process, obtaining and safeguarding information sources, conservation, sustainable ...
The strategic importance of World Heritage sites in addressing social needs is now well recognise... more The strategic importance of World Heritage sites in addressing social needs is now well recognised in Africa and elsewhere. However, the contribution of these sites to socioeconomic development is rarely a topic of empirical investigation and is mostly implied. It is in this context that research was performed on stakeholder-driven conservation and socioeconomic development processes, using Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site (South Africa) as the case study. The study solicited the views and opinions of 243 participants, using a dynamic and mixed methodology which combined desktop studies, questionnaire surveys, interviews and Delphi techniques. This mixed methodology was premised on the Multiple-Multi-Layered Stakeholder Theory (MMST). The main findings of the thesis are that conservation and socioeconomic development are equally important and should co-exist as stakeholder-driven processes at Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site (MCLWHS). This supports the notion of caring for the well-being of both heritage and society. The study also established that, while there are benefits associated with World Heritage, the lack of credible statistics and the absence of monitoring indicators mean that its contribution to socioeconomic development is not quantified. In addition, the study reveals that, while Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site (MCLWHS) has multiple stakeholders with different expectations and levels of power, these are not involved in the decision-making processes at the site. This creates challenges that impede the full realization of both conservation and socioeconomic benefits at MCLWHS, which can only be addressed through adaptive management supported by creativity and innovation embedded in multi-pronged strategies. The results motivate for adoption of adaptive management approaches, "learning by doing", as opposed to a monolithic adherence to State-Based Management Systems. An adaptive approach promotes better communication flow between decision makers and all other stakeholders to ensure stakeholder-driven conservation and socioeconomic development at World Heritage sites. Neither conservation nor socioeconomic development plan for each other at World Heritage sites, yet both cannot be disassociated from their broader environment and related stakeholders. The study concludes that World Heritage governance should be about managing continuity and change as influenced by multiple stakeholders who are the beneficiaries of both conservation and developments at heritage sites. World Heritage has potential to contribute massively to socioeconomic development in and around host communities without eroding its credibility and integrity.
Robben Island, an infamous place of banishment, isolation and political imprisonment, became a Wo... more Robben Island, an infamous place of banishment, isolation and political imprisonment, became a World Heritage Site in 1999 under the category of cultural landscapes. The site symbolises the “triumph of human spirit against great adversity” illustrating the experience of Political Prisoners incacerated on the Island for fighting against apartheid; a racially segregated governance system which marginalised the majority of South Africans. Apart from this, Robben Island was intially used as refreshment station by sailors, and later was a banishment place for indegeneous chiefs resisting colonialism, home to lepers isolated to the island and a defence line for 2nd World War. As a result, Robben Island World Heritage Site (RIWHS) is a place of spiritual reflection, hope, solidarity, transformation, healing and pilgrimage for a broader spectrum of society. These multilayered values requires a sustainable management approach. Conservation, tourism and social mandates of the site makes it a ...
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology, 2020
World Heritage and Sustainable Development are connecting, complex, and inseparable global concep... more World Heritage and Sustainable Development are connecting, complex, and inseparable global concepts operating at the local levels of World Heritage sites in developing nations. World Heritage is defined as cultural and natural sites considered to have outstanding universal values (OUV) and are legally protected by international treaties, in this case the 1972 World Heritage Convention, which provide the criteria for inscribing such sites and for keeping them on the World Heritage List. World Heritage promotes conservation of such heritage for the benefit of humanity. Sustainable Development, however, refers to development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, and its implementation is largely directed by guidelines and principles endorsed by a broad range of stakeholders. Both concepts, World Heritage and Sustainable Development, have present and futuristic functionalities, but the former appears to be mor...
International Journal of Heritage Studies, 2015
Abstract Before colonialism, heritage sites such as Khami were considered resting places for ance... more Abstract Before colonialism, heritage sites such as Khami were considered resting places for ancestors, valued more for the spirit of place than their monumentality. In this context, local custodians hardly intervened with the fabric of the site. With the introduction of modern conservation principles, which persist to this day, vegetation control and wall restorations became part of routine conservation measures. This paper discusses drystone wall restorations carried out at Khami between 2000 and 2015 focusing on the disjuncture between indigenous and local concepts of heritage, concerned with access and preserving the spirit of ancestors, and ‘western’ principles of restoration. It argues that while ignoring the structural disintegration of Khami would have resulted in possible delisting from the World Heritage List, the ‘neglect’ which Khami experienced was in tandem with its local social context; being a resting place for ancestors. While the reconstructions interfered with an acceptable physical context of local beliefs, restorations maintained the integrity of the site as a tourist destination with positive local economic benefits. Although compromises are by their nature unsatisfactory, modern heritage conservation in Africa must adapt and improvise to achieve a mix of local and international practices to reflect changed and changing realities.
Heritage at Risk, 2015
Domboshava cave lies 35 kilometres north-east of Harare and was proclaimed a national monument in... more Domboshava cave lies 35 kilometres north-east of Harare and was proclaimed a national monument in 1936. covering only I acre. The physical boundary of the site was extended in 1996 to cover 300 hectares. The proclaimed area now encloses rock paintings, late Stone-Age deposits, a geological tunnel (which has acquired cultural significance through time), sacred forest, spectacular gran ite geological formations and a buffer zone for management pur poses. An Archean green stone belt surrounds the Domboshava batholith (Lister 1987: Baddock 1991; Stocklmayer 1978). Gener ally a dissected and relatively undulating igneous complex (com prising series of gneiss tonalitcgranadioritc plutons) characterises the Chinamora area occupying 1200 square kilometres. Several values placed on the Domboshava rock an site were used to justify its nomination to the National Monuments list of Zimbabwe. These include the scientific, living traditional, geologi cal, educational, social values and many ...
Stakeholder Perspectives on World Heritage and Development in Africa
Routledge eBooks, Oct 18, 2022
Stakeholder Perspectives on World Heritage and Development in Africa
Stakeholder Perspectives on World Heritage and Development in Africa
Stakeholder Perspectives on World Heritage and Development in Africa
Stakeholder Perspectives on World Heritage and Development in Africa
Stakeholder Perspectives on World Heritage and Development in Africa
Conversaciones con..., 2019
Cultural heritage in Africa is viewed as a local phenomenon embedded in the rich and diverse Indi... more Cultural heritage in Africa is viewed as a local phenomenon embedded in the rich and diverse Indigenous Knowledge Systems of local communities. It reflects the pioneering spirit and approaches of local communities in defining the localness and character of heritage. However, colonialism almost erased this localness in Africa through advancing the monumentality approach, further reinforced by the World Heritage concept until recent times. To address this issue, the authenticity concept was adopted as a way of restoring the localness and character of cultural heritage. Through this concept, the African cultural heritage provides local perspectives and insights into the discourse on authenticity. Robben Island World Heritage site (South Africa), offers cross-cutting local perspectives and insights on authenticity. This discussion emphasises understanding the dynamics between authenticity and inscription process, obtaining and safeguarding information sources, conservation, sustainable development and heritage curriculums. The paper recommends adopting a progressive and adaptive approach to broaden the concept of authenticity as a continuing process linked to the ever-changing cultural practices at the local, which gives birth to 'current authenticity'. This reinforces the importance of emerging local perspectives on authenticity and local communities in the future implementation of World Heritage in Africa.
Conversaciones con..., 2019
El patrimonio cultural en África se analiza como un fenómeno local embebido en los ricos y divers... more El patrimonio cultural en África se analiza como un fenómeno local embebido en los ricos y diversos Sistemas de Conocimiento Indígenas de las comunidades locales. Refleja el espíritu pionero y los enfoques de las comunidades locales para definir la localidad y el carácter del patrimonio. Sin embargo, el colonialismo prácticamente borró esta localidad en África con el posicionamiento del enfoque monumental, reforzado aún más por el concepto de Patrimonio Mundial hasta tiempos recientes. Para enfrentar el tema, se adoptó el concepto de autenticidad como una forma de restaurar la localidad y el carácter del patrimonio cultural. Mediante ese concepto, el patrimonio cultural africano provee perspectivas y conocimientos locales al discurso sobre autenticidad. El sitio de Patrimonio Mundial de Robben Island (Sudáfrica) ofrece perspectivas locales que se entrecruzan y percepciones sobre la autenticidad. Esta discusión enfatiza la comprensión de dinámicas entre la autenticidad y los procesos de inscripción, la obtención y salvaguarda de fuentes de información, conservación, desarrollo sostenible y programas universitarios sobre patrimonio. El presente artículo recomienda la adopción de un enfoque progresivo y adaptativo para ampliar el concepto de autenticidad como un proceso continuo, vinculado con las siempre cambiantes prácticas locales que dan paso a la "autenticidad actual". Esto refuerza la importancia de las perspectivas locales emergentes sobre autenticidad y las comunidades locales en el futuro de la implementación del Patrimonio Mundial en África.
Aspects of Management Planning for Cultural World Heritage Sites, 2017
Cultural heritage in Africa is viewed as a local phenomenon embedded in the rich and diverse Indi... more Cultural heritage in Africa is viewed as a local phenomenon embedded in the rich and diverse Indigenous Knowledge Systems of local communities. It reflects the pioneering spirit and approaches of local communities in defining the localness and character of heritage. However, colonialism almost erased this localness in Africa through advancing the monumentality approach, further reinforced by the World Heritage concept until recent times. To address this issue, the authenticity concept was adopted as a way of restoring the localness and character of cultural heritage. Through this concept, the African cultural heritage provides local perspectives and insights into the discourse on authenticity. Robben Island World Heritage site (South Africa), offers cross-cutting local perspectives and insights on authenticity. This discussion emphasises understanding the dynamics between authenticity and inscription process, obtaining and safeguarding information sources, conservation, sustainable ...
The strategic importance of World Heritage sites in addressing social needs is now well recognise... more The strategic importance of World Heritage sites in addressing social needs is now well recognised in Africa and elsewhere. However, the contribution of these sites to socioeconomic development is rarely a topic of empirical investigation and is mostly implied. It is in this context that research was performed on stakeholder-driven conservation and socioeconomic development processes, using Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site (South Africa) as the case study. The study solicited the views and opinions of 243 participants, using a dynamic and mixed methodology which combined desktop studies, questionnaire surveys, interviews and Delphi techniques. This mixed methodology was premised on the Multiple-Multi-Layered Stakeholder Theory (MMST). The main findings of the thesis are that conservation and socioeconomic development are equally important and should co-exist as stakeholder-driven processes at Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site (MCLWHS). This supports the notion of caring for the well-being of both heritage and society. The study also established that, while there are benefits associated with World Heritage, the lack of credible statistics and the absence of monitoring indicators mean that its contribution to socioeconomic development is not quantified. In addition, the study reveals that, while Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site (MCLWHS) has multiple stakeholders with different expectations and levels of power, these are not involved in the decision-making processes at the site. This creates challenges that impede the full realization of both conservation and socioeconomic benefits at MCLWHS, which can only be addressed through adaptive management supported by creativity and innovation embedded in multi-pronged strategies. The results motivate for adoption of adaptive management approaches, "learning by doing", as opposed to a monolithic adherence to State-Based Management Systems. An adaptive approach promotes better communication flow between decision makers and all other stakeholders to ensure stakeholder-driven conservation and socioeconomic development at World Heritage sites. Neither conservation nor socioeconomic development plan for each other at World Heritage sites, yet both cannot be disassociated from their broader environment and related stakeholders. The study concludes that World Heritage governance should be about managing continuity and change as influenced by multiple stakeholders who are the beneficiaries of both conservation and developments at heritage sites. World Heritage has potential to contribute massively to socioeconomic development in and around host communities without eroding its credibility and integrity.
Robben Island, an infamous place of banishment, isolation and political imprisonment, became a Wo... more Robben Island, an infamous place of banishment, isolation and political imprisonment, became a World Heritage Site in 1999 under the category of cultural landscapes. The site symbolises the “triumph of human spirit against great adversity” illustrating the experience of Political Prisoners incacerated on the Island for fighting against apartheid; a racially segregated governance system which marginalised the majority of South Africans. Apart from this, Robben Island was intially used as refreshment station by sailors, and later was a banishment place for indegeneous chiefs resisting colonialism, home to lepers isolated to the island and a defence line for 2nd World War. As a result, Robben Island World Heritage Site (RIWHS) is a place of spiritual reflection, hope, solidarity, transformation, healing and pilgrimage for a broader spectrum of society. These multilayered values requires a sustainable management approach. Conservation, tourism and social mandates of the site makes it a ...
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology, 2020
World Heritage and Sustainable Development are connecting, complex, and inseparable global concep... more World Heritage and Sustainable Development are connecting, complex, and inseparable global concepts operating at the local levels of World Heritage sites in developing nations. World Heritage is defined as cultural and natural sites considered to have outstanding universal values (OUV) and are legally protected by international treaties, in this case the 1972 World Heritage Convention, which provide the criteria for inscribing such sites and for keeping them on the World Heritage List. World Heritage promotes conservation of such heritage for the benefit of humanity. Sustainable Development, however, refers to development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, and its implementation is largely directed by guidelines and principles endorsed by a broad range of stakeholders. Both concepts, World Heritage and Sustainable Development, have present and futuristic functionalities, but the former appears to be mor...
International Journal of Heritage Studies, 2015
Abstract Before colonialism, heritage sites such as Khami were considered resting places for ance... more Abstract Before colonialism, heritage sites such as Khami were considered resting places for ancestors, valued more for the spirit of place than their monumentality. In this context, local custodians hardly intervened with the fabric of the site. With the introduction of modern conservation principles, which persist to this day, vegetation control and wall restorations became part of routine conservation measures. This paper discusses drystone wall restorations carried out at Khami between 2000 and 2015 focusing on the disjuncture between indigenous and local concepts of heritage, concerned with access and preserving the spirit of ancestors, and ‘western’ principles of restoration. It argues that while ignoring the structural disintegration of Khami would have resulted in possible delisting from the World Heritage List, the ‘neglect’ which Khami experienced was in tandem with its local social context; being a resting place for ancestors. While the reconstructions interfered with an acceptable physical context of local beliefs, restorations maintained the integrity of the site as a tourist destination with positive local economic benefits. Although compromises are by their nature unsatisfactory, modern heritage conservation in Africa must adapt and improvise to achieve a mix of local and international practices to reflect changed and changing realities.
Heritage at Risk, 2015
Domboshava cave lies 35 kilometres north-east of Harare and was proclaimed a national monument in... more Domboshava cave lies 35 kilometres north-east of Harare and was proclaimed a national monument in 1936. covering only I acre. The physical boundary of the site was extended in 1996 to cover 300 hectares. The proclaimed area now encloses rock paintings, late Stone-Age deposits, a geological tunnel (which has acquired cultural significance through time), sacred forest, spectacular gran ite geological formations and a buffer zone for management pur poses. An Archean green stone belt surrounds the Domboshava batholith (Lister 1987: Baddock 1991; Stocklmayer 1978). Gener ally a dissected and relatively undulating igneous complex (com prising series of gneiss tonalitcgranadioritc plutons) characterises the Chinamora area occupying 1200 square kilometres. Several values placed on the Domboshava rock an site were used to justify its nomination to the National Monuments list of Zimbabwe. These include the scientific, living traditional, geologi cal, educational, social values and many ...
Stakeholder Perspectives on World Heritage and Development in Africa