Elgidius B Ichumbaki
Biographic Data
| ID | 72149 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Elgidius B Ichumbaki |
| GIVEN NAMES | Elgidius B |
| FAMILY NAME | Ichumbaki |
| SIGNATURE | ICHUMBAKI E B |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Dar es Salaam |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9841-1753 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 32 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 101 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 32 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Beyond the Shoreline: Dhows, Inland Economies, and the Making of the Indian Ocean World
This article advances a corridor framework for Swahili maritime history, arguing that Indian Ocean commerce along the East African coast was sustained by an integrated continental–oceanic political economy whose constituent institutions extended from interior production zones, through caravan and brokerage networks, to coastal towns, islands and beyond. Against persistent coast-centered and externalist explanations – including recent interpretati…
Place, Identity and Wellbeing: Bradford and Beyond
This paper presents ongoing collaborative, place-based research between the University of Bradford and partner organisations, exploring the importance of identity, and the role of heritage and culture, for wellbeing, cohesion and resilience. It discusses three 'parent' projects: Fragmented Heritage; Virtual Bradford; and Continuing Bonds, and seven interlinked subsidiary projects: Curious Travellers; Building Resilience through Heritage (BReaTHe)…
Heritage forfeited and forgotten: Some issues with state control in Tanzania
Central governments have controlled cultural heritage management in most African countries since colonial times. Focusing on Tanzania, the authors here argue that heritage sites are at risk from the institutions tasked with managing them, citing an institutional reluctance to protect threatened sites, delegation of responsibility to unqualified organisations, inappropriate development of sites as income-generating entities and a resistance to wor…
Digital Twins at the City and Town Scale: Europe and Beyond
The last ten years have seen great strides in digital archaeological and heritage outputs, particularly with the use of three-dimensional (3D) digital documentation becoming increasingly commonplace. Methods that widen participation and increase access have led to valuable community-scale documentation, from artefacts to landscapes. As part of this workflow, the Visualising Heritage team at the University of Bradford, UK, and international collab…
Climate Change, Coastal Heritage Digitization, and Local Community Engagement at the Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani World Heritage Site, Tanzania
“Unless we Value the Intangible Heritage, the Tangible will never be Safe!” Linking the Tangible and Intangible Aspects of Heritage Sites in Africa
A few heritage researchers and protection practitioners in some African countries define heritage sites and cultural objects based on European and North American criteria. Such criteria emphasize visual material remains like monumental structures and their aesthetically pleasing features. This Western view overlooks some critical aspects. For example, to local people, the meanings and associated values make the monuments and sites relevant. Despi…
Archaeological and ethnographic perspectives on the meaning and consumption of glass beads in ancient Kilwa Kisiwani, southern Tanzania
Glass beads are among the celebrated archaeological finds along the Swahili coast in eastern Africa. These cultural materials have been used as evidence of mercantile trade between the Swahili coast and other communities globally. Glass beads are also chronological markers of archaeological sites and deposits at many Swahili sites. Although archaeologists recover glass beads from almost every excavation, only a few studies have reported on their …
Training and Collaboration in African Archaeology
Fishing Songs from Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania: A Case Study of Intangible Maritime Cultural Heritage on the Swahili Coast
Historically, fishers (both men and women) have engaged in different activities ranging from preparing fishing equipment (traps, nets, fishing vessels), weather forecasting, and sailing to fishing grounds and they continue to do so today. While sailing, fishers paddle collaboratively when the wind is low and when the boat is leaking, some crew will bail the vessel. Once they arrive at the fishing grounds, fishers cast anchor, mend the fishnets, a…
They know more than we do, yet we appreciate them less than they deserve: Decoding local ontologies in heritage interpretation and preservation in Southern Tanzania
Many of the heritage sites researchers work on are reported to them by local people. Sometimes local people spend their meagre resources to protect such sites before researchers and heritage practitioners know about and visit them. Despite these roles, their (local people) skillsets and knowledge about the sites, including materials therein, are often ignored. A few researchers who value the contributions of local people give them temporary casua…
When the ‘Asset’ Is Livelihood: Making Heritage with the Maritime Practitioners of Bagamoyo, Tanzania
This paper examines the dilemmas, obligations and opportunities faced by heritage professionals in elaborating cultural ‘assets’ among the breadwinning practices of contemporary, artisanal communities. It takes as its case study the authors’ Bahari Yetu, Urithi Wetu (‘Our Ocean, Our Heritage’) project and its engagement with maritime practitioners in and around the town of Bagamoyo, Tanzania. The article identifies Bagamoyo’s contemporary maritim…
Ours or yours? Localizing the ‘mixed sites’ concept for the sustainable preservation of heritage in Africa: The case of Chongoleani Peninsular, Tanzania
Heritage scholars, professionals, and practitioners continue to debate the separation of nature and culture and their linkage. The discussion, however, centres on World Heritage Sites (WHS) but not those valued locally, some of which are on the national register. This practice threatens many local heritage sites that would have benefited from having a management plan that treats nature and culture as interconnected and interlinked. For example, i…
Names of Contemporary Wooden Boats of Coastal East Africa: Origins and Meanings
The coast of eastern Africa, commonly referred to as the Swahili coast, has a rich artisanal heritage of boats — both in their building and use. This iconic history is marked by the presence of various boat types that have historically been used for fishing and transporting people and cargo between coastal settlements (of eastern Africa), the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, Mafia, Comoros, Madagascar, and other distant parts of the Indian Ocean world…
Contemporary Wooden Watercraft of the Zanzibar Channel, Tanzania: Type and Technology, Continuity and Innovation
This article documents and presents the range of wooden fishing and cargo-carrying watercraft in use in the contemporary Zanzibar Channel, Tanzania. The work is based on surveys conducted in 2018 on Unguja, the principal island of the Zanzibar archipelago, and in 2019–2020 in Bagamoyo, mainland Tanzania, and its immediate environs. The authors present a broad typology of the principal wooden vessel types in the form of 3D photogrammetric models, …
Usable Pasts Forum: Unesco and Heritage Tourism in Africa
Outstanding Universal Value and, consequently, are unique assets for humankind (Ndoro, 2015a). Nominated sites must, after deliberations and input from advisory bodies to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, meet at least one of the ten criteria (six cultural and four natural) consonant with cultural, historical, scientific, or other forms of significance
Building a Ngalawa Double-Outrigger Logboat in Bagamoyo, Tanzania: A Craftsman at his Work
This article documents master logboat-builder Alalae Mohamed’s construction of a ngalawa fishing vessel in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. The ngalawa is an extended logboat with double outrigger and lateen sail used by low-income, artisanal fishers. It is the most common marine vessel type of the East African coast. This article follows the construction process from Alalae’s selection and the felling of the tree(s) to the launching of the vessel. It outline…
Methodological Approaches to Researching Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Along the Swahili Coast in Tanzania
Community Based Heritage in Africa: Unravelling Local Research and Development Initiatives, written by Peter R. Schmidt
The Swahili Civilization in Eastern Africa
The urbanization and globalization being experienced in Africa in this early 21st century have deep foundations in the continent’s history. In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, theories on the origin of urbanization have developed through the 20th century from an external origin emphasis. There was little recognition of the greater part played by the local people. The producers of these cultures engaged in activities shaped by the environment and …
Is there Hope for Heritage in Former British Colonies in Eastern Africa? A View from Tanzania
British Colonial governments in eastern Africa became deeply involved in the protection and conservation of Protected Areas, zones of high value for natural history and wildlife. Often such areas were created without consideration of community interests and management expertise. Centralized power and decision-making militated against local engagement. This trend was accompanied by parallel developments in the heritage sector, which initially focu…
Musicalizing heritage and heritagizing music for enhancing community awareness of preserving world heritage sites in Africa
For the past two centuries or so, education systems in Africa have changed from parental- to school-based training. With this pedagogical shift, children and young people are mentored using school curricula that say very little about the cultural heritage sites in the community in which they were born and raised. Heritage research outputs, such as books and articles in international journals, cannot be accessed by local people. If they do manage …
Valuing the Swahili Cultural Heritage: A Maritime Cultural Ecosystem Services Study from Kilwa, Tanzania
During the second millennium CE, the medieval settlements of Kilwa in southeastern Tanzania were part of the Indian Ocean trading system that left a clear physical legacy of stone towns along with oral histories and sailing traditions. Modern developmental activities including exploration of oil and gas, house building, and establishment of tourism infrastructures have led to the reuse of heritage site, hence, an inevitable pressure upon heritage…
Local people’s interpretations of the hominin footprints at Laetoli, Tanzania
In 1976 and 2014, scientists reported hominin footprints in Pliocene volcanic deposits at Laetoli, north-eastern Tanzania. They hypothesized that the footprints belong to the extinct hominin species Australopithecus afarensis. Not only have the footprints shaped scientists’ understanding of human biological evolution, but they have also placed Laetoli and Tanzania on the world’s paleoanthropological studies map. However, there have been different…
The Impact of Small-Scale Development Projects on Archaeological Heritage in Africa: The Tanzanian Experience
The governments in Africa implement various development projects to improve livelihoods. The projects are both large and small scale. Large-scale projects include construction of dams, railway lines, roads, industrial complexes, expanding cities and new mines. Small-scale ones include establishing new residential houses and maintenance of roads linking administrative divisions. Both large- and small-scale projects involve land disturbance and hav…
Settlement history of the islands on the Pangani River, northeastern Tanzania
Part of the history of human settlements on the islands along the Pangani River at Korogwe in northeastern Tanzania has been misconstrued. Eurocentric accounts claim that the islands were inhabited during the nineteenth century and that they were refuges for the Zigua from Maasai cattle raiders. Those accounts also claim that these settlements served as staging posts for trade caravans during the nineteenth century to provide food and security to…
A history of conservation of built heritage sites of the Swahili Coast in Tanzania
The interaction between the Swahili Coast of the present-day Tanzanian coast and other parts of the Indian Ocean world dates back to the first millennium AD. This commercial communication resulted in the rise of several coastal city-states (stonebuilt towns), some of which date back to the tenth century. Unfortunately, some of these states started to collapse during the second half of the second millennium and the majority of them is in a ruinous…
Settlement history of the islands on the Pangani River, northeastern Tanzania
Part of the history of human settlements on the islands along the Pangani River at Korogwe in northeastern Tanzania has been misconstrued. Eurocentric accounts claim that the islands were inhabited during the nineteenth century and that they were refuges for the Zigua from Maasai cattle raiders. Those accounts also claim that these settlements served as staging posts for trade caravans during the nineteenth century to provide food and security to…
Challenges to the retention of the integrity of World Heritage Sites in Africa: The case of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara, Tanzania
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 t…
Usable Pasts Forum: Unesco and Heritage Tourism in Africa
Outstanding Universal Value and, consequently, are unique assets for humankind (Ndoro, 2015a). Nominated sites must, after deliberations and input from advisory bodies to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, meet at least one of the ten criteria (six cultural and four natural) consonant with cultural, historical, scientific, or other forms of significance
Local people’s interpretations of the hominin footprints at Laetoli, Tanzania
In 1976 and 2014, scientists reported hominin footprints in Pliocene volcanic deposits at Laetoli, north-eastern Tanzania. They hypothesized that the footprints belong to the extinct hominin species Australopithecus afarensis. Not only have the footprints shaped scientists’ understanding of human biological evolution, but they have also placed Laetoli and Tanzania on the world’s paleoanthropological studies map. However, there have been different…
Shipwreck Evidence from Kilwa, Tanzania
This article reports on the artefacts and environment of marine ballast and pottery sites identified through inter-tidal and underwater survey around Kilwa, Tanzania, one of the most important medieval sultanates along the east African coast. An inter-tidal site on the limestone fringing reef on the approaches to Kilwa Kisiwani Harbour and an underwater site within the harbour have been dated from associated pottery to c.8th–10th century and the …
Valuing the Swahili Cultural Heritage: A Maritime Cultural Ecosystem Services Study from Kilwa, Tanzania
During the second millennium CE, the medieval settlements of Kilwa in southeastern Tanzania were part of the Indian Ocean trading system that left a clear physical legacy of stone towns along with oral histories and sailing traditions. Modern developmental activities including exploration of oil and gas, house building, and establishment of tourism infrastructures have led to the reuse of heritage site, hence, an inevitable pressure upon heritage…
The Impact of Small-Scale Development Projects on Archaeological Heritage in Africa: The Tanzanian Experience
The governments in Africa implement various development projects to improve livelihoods. The projects are both large and small scale. Large-scale projects include construction of dams, railway lines, roads, industrial complexes, expanding cities and new mines. Small-scale ones include establishing new residential houses and maintenance of roads linking administrative divisions. Both large- and small-scale projects involve land disturbance and hav…
Why Land Here? Ports and Harbors in Southeast Tanzania in the Early Second Millennium AD
The east African Swahili ports developed extensive maritime trading links around the Indian Ocean, and supported economic, political, and urban growth in the early second millennium AD. This article identifies ports of varying function and importance in SE Tanzania, and seeks to understand their development in the context of natural harbor advantage, boat technology, sailing practice, and resource needs. Field data from landing places are combine…
Building a Ngalawa Double-Outrigger Logboat in Bagamoyo, Tanzania: A Craftsman at his Work
This article documents master logboat-builder Alalae Mohamed’s construction of a ngalawa fishing vessel in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. The ngalawa is an extended logboat with double outrigger and lateen sail used by low-income, artisanal fishers. It is the most common marine vessel type of the East African coast. This article follows the construction process from Alalae’s selection and the felling of the tree(s) to the launching of the vessel. It outline…
Contemporary Wooden Watercraft of the Zanzibar Channel, Tanzania: Type and Technology, Continuity and Innovation
This article documents and presents the range of wooden fishing and cargo-carrying watercraft in use in the contemporary Zanzibar Channel, Tanzania. The work is based on surveys conducted in 2018 on Unguja, the principal island of the Zanzibar archipelago, and in 2019–2020 in Bagamoyo, mainland Tanzania, and its immediate environs. The authors present a broad typology of the principal wooden vessel types in the form of 3D photogrammetric models, …
Musicalizing heritage and heritagizing music for enhancing community awareness of preserving world heritage sites in Africa
For the past two centuries or so, education systems in Africa have changed from parental- to school-based training. With this pedagogical shift, children and young people are mentored using school curricula that say very little about the cultural heritage sites in the community in which they were born and raised. Heritage research outputs, such as books and articles in international journals, cannot be accessed by local people. If they do manage …
Potsherds Coated with Lime Mortar Along the East African Coast: Their Origin and Significance
They know more than we do, yet we appreciate them less than they deserve: Decoding local ontologies in heritage interpretation and preservation in Southern Tanzania
Many of the heritage sites researchers work on are reported to them by local people. Sometimes local people spend their meagre resources to protect such sites before researchers and heritage practitioners know about and visit them. Despite these roles, their (local people) skillsets and knowledge about the sites, including materials therein, are often ignored. A few researchers who value the contributions of local people give them temporary casua…
Is there Hope for Heritage in Former British Colonies in Eastern Africa? A View from Tanzania
British Colonial governments in eastern Africa became deeply involved in the protection and conservation of Protected Areas, zones of high value for natural history and wildlife. Often such areas were created without consideration of community interests and management expertise. Centralized power and decision-making militated against local engagement. This trend was accompanied by parallel developments in the heritage sector, which initially focu…
The Swahili Civilization in Eastern Africa
The urbanization and globalization being experienced in Africa in this early 21st century have deep foundations in the continent’s history. In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, theories on the origin of urbanization have developed through the 20th century from an external origin emphasis. There was little recognition of the greater part played by the local people. The producers of these cultures engaged in activities shaped by the environment and …
Climate Change, Coastal Heritage Digitization, and Local Community Engagement at the Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani World Heritage Site, Tanzania
Fishing Songs from Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania: A Case Study of Intangible Maritime Cultural Heritage on the Swahili Coast
Historically, fishers (both men and women) have engaged in different activities ranging from preparing fishing equipment (traps, nets, fishing vessels), weather forecasting, and sailing to fishing grounds and they continue to do so today. While sailing, fishers paddle collaboratively when the wind is low and when the boat is leaking, some crew will bail the vessel. Once they arrive at the fishing grounds, fishers cast anchor, mend the fishnets, a…
When the ‘Asset’ Is Livelihood: Making Heritage with the Maritime Practitioners of Bagamoyo, Tanzania
This paper examines the dilemmas, obligations and opportunities faced by heritage professionals in elaborating cultural ‘assets’ among the breadwinning practices of contemporary, artisanal communities. It takes as its case study the authors’ Bahari Yetu, Urithi Wetu (‘Our Ocean, Our Heritage’) project and its engagement with maritime practitioners in and around the town of Bagamoyo, Tanzania. The article identifies Bagamoyo’s contemporary maritim…
Names of Contemporary Wooden Boats of Coastal East Africa: Origins and Meanings
The coast of eastern Africa, commonly referred to as the Swahili coast, has a rich artisanal heritage of boats — both in their building and use. This iconic history is marked by the presence of various boat types that have historically been used for fishing and transporting people and cargo between coastal settlements (of eastern Africa), the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, Mafia, Comoros, Madagascar, and other distant parts of the Indian Ocean world…
Equatorial eastern Africa: Quaternary climate change and variability
Potsherds Coated with Lime Mortar Along the East African Coast: Their Origin and Significance
Shipwreck Evidence from Kilwa, Tanzania
This article reports on the artefacts and environment of marine ballast and pottery sites identified through inter-tidal and underwater survey around Kilwa, Tanzania, one of the most important medieval sultanates along the east African coast. An inter-tidal site on the limestone fringing reef on the approaches to Kilwa Kisiwani Harbour and an underwater site within the harbour have been dated from associated pottery to c.8th–10th century and the …
Why Land Here? Ports and Harbors in Southeast Tanzania in the Early Second Millennium AD
The east African Swahili ports developed extensive maritime trading links around the Indian Ocean, and supported economic, political, and urban growth in the early second millennium AD. This article identifies ports of varying function and importance in SE Tanzania, and seeks to understand their development in the context of natural harbor advantage, boat technology, sailing practice, and resource needs. Field data from landing places are combine…
A history of conservation of built heritage sites of the Swahili Coast in Tanzania
The interaction between the Swahili Coast of the present-day Tanzanian coast and other parts of the Indian Ocean world dates back to the first millennium AD. This commercial communication resulted in the rise of several coastal city-states (stonebuilt towns), some of which date back to the tenth century. Unfortunately, some of these states started to collapse during the second half of the second millennium and the majority of them is in a ruinous…
When Did the Swahili Become Maritime? A Reply to Jeffrey Fleisher et al. (2015)
Challenges to the retention of the integrity of World Heritage Sites in Africa: The case of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara, Tanzania
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 t…
The Impact of Small-Scale Development Projects on Archaeological Heritage in Africa: The Tanzanian Experience
The governments in Africa implement various development projects to improve livelihoods. The projects are both large and small scale. Large-scale projects include construction of dams, railway lines, roads, industrial complexes, expanding cities and new mines. Small-scale ones include establishing new residential houses and maintenance of roads linking administrative divisions. Both large- and small-scale projects involve land disturbance and hav…
Settlement history of the islands on the Pangani River, northeastern Tanzania
Part of the history of human settlements on the islands along the Pangani River at Korogwe in northeastern Tanzania has been misconstrued. Eurocentric accounts claim that the islands were inhabited during the nineteenth century and that they were refuges for the Zigua from Maasai cattle raiders. Those accounts also claim that these settlements served as staging posts for trade caravans during the nineteenth century to provide food and security to…
Valuing the Swahili Cultural Heritage: A Maritime Cultural Ecosystem Services Study from Kilwa, Tanzania
During the second millennium CE, the medieval settlements of Kilwa in southeastern Tanzania were part of the Indian Ocean trading system that left a clear physical legacy of stone towns along with oral histories and sailing traditions. Modern developmental activities including exploration of oil and gas, house building, and establishment of tourism infrastructures have led to the reuse of heritage site, hence, an inevitable pressure upon heritage…
Local people’s interpretations of the hominin footprints at Laetoli, Tanzania
In 1976 and 2014, scientists reported hominin footprints in Pliocene volcanic deposits at Laetoli, north-eastern Tanzania. They hypothesized that the footprints belong to the extinct hominin species Australopithecus afarensis. Not only have the footprints shaped scientists’ understanding of human biological evolution, but they have also placed Laetoli and Tanzania on the world’s paleoanthropological studies map. However, there have been different…
Methodological Approaches to Researching Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Along the Swahili Coast in Tanzania
Community Based Heritage in Africa: Unravelling Local Research and Development Initiatives, written by Peter R. Schmidt
The Swahili Civilization in Eastern Africa
The urbanization and globalization being experienced in Africa in this early 21st century have deep foundations in the continent’s history. In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, theories on the origin of urbanization have developed through the 20th century from an external origin emphasis. There was little recognition of the greater part played by the local people. The producers of these cultures engaged in activities shaped by the environment and …
Is there Hope for Heritage in Former British Colonies in Eastern Africa? A View from Tanzania
British Colonial governments in eastern Africa became deeply involved in the protection and conservation of Protected Areas, zones of high value for natural history and wildlife. Often such areas were created without consideration of community interests and management expertise. Centralized power and decision-making militated against local engagement. This trend was accompanied by parallel developments in the heritage sector, which initially focu…
Musicalizing heritage and heritagizing music for enhancing community awareness of preserving world heritage sites in Africa
For the past two centuries or so, education systems in Africa have changed from parental- to school-based training. With this pedagogical shift, children and young people are mentored using school curricula that say very little about the cultural heritage sites in the community in which they were born and raised. Heritage research outputs, such as books and articles in international journals, cannot be accessed by local people. If they do manage …
Contemporary Wooden Watercraft of the Zanzibar Channel, Tanzania: Type and Technology, Continuity and Innovation
This article documents and presents the range of wooden fishing and cargo-carrying watercraft in use in the contemporary Zanzibar Channel, Tanzania. The work is based on surveys conducted in 2018 on Unguja, the principal island of the Zanzibar archipelago, and in 2019–2020 in Bagamoyo, mainland Tanzania, and its immediate environs. The authors present a broad typology of the principal wooden vessel types in the form of 3D photogrammetric models, …
Usable Pasts Forum: Unesco and Heritage Tourism in Africa
Outstanding Universal Value and, consequently, are unique assets for humankind (Ndoro, 2015a). Nominated sites must, after deliberations and input from advisory bodies to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, meet at least one of the ten criteria (six cultural and four natural) consonant with cultural, historical, scientific, or other forms of significance
Building a Ngalawa Double-Outrigger Logboat in Bagamoyo, Tanzania: A Craftsman at his Work
This article documents master logboat-builder Alalae Mohamed’s construction of a ngalawa fishing vessel in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. The ngalawa is an extended logboat with double outrigger and lateen sail used by low-income, artisanal fishers. It is the most common marine vessel type of the East African coast. This article follows the construction process from Alalae’s selection and the felling of the tree(s) to the launching of the vessel. It outline…
When the ‘Asset’ Is Livelihood: Making Heritage with the Maritime Practitioners of Bagamoyo, Tanzania
This paper examines the dilemmas, obligations and opportunities faced by heritage professionals in elaborating cultural ‘assets’ among the breadwinning practices of contemporary, artisanal communities. It takes as its case study the authors’ Bahari Yetu, Urithi Wetu (‘Our Ocean, Our Heritage’) project and its engagement with maritime practitioners in and around the town of Bagamoyo, Tanzania. The article identifies Bagamoyo’s contemporary maritim…
Ours or yours? Localizing the ‘mixed sites’ concept for the sustainable preservation of heritage in Africa: The case of Chongoleani Peninsular, Tanzania
Heritage scholars, professionals, and practitioners continue to debate the separation of nature and culture and their linkage. The discussion, however, centres on World Heritage Sites (WHS) but not those valued locally, some of which are on the national register. This practice threatens many local heritage sites that would have benefited from having a management plan that treats nature and culture as interconnected and interlinked. For example, i…
Names of Contemporary Wooden Boats of Coastal East Africa: Origins and Meanings
The coast of eastern Africa, commonly referred to as the Swahili coast, has a rich artisanal heritage of boats — both in their building and use. This iconic history is marked by the presence of various boat types that have historically been used for fishing and transporting people and cargo between coastal settlements (of eastern Africa), the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, Mafia, Comoros, Madagascar, and other distant parts of the Indian Ocean world…
Training and Collaboration in African Archaeology
Fishing Songs from Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania: A Case Study of Intangible Maritime Cultural Heritage on the Swahili Coast
Historically, fishers (both men and women) have engaged in different activities ranging from preparing fishing equipment (traps, nets, fishing vessels), weather forecasting, and sailing to fishing grounds and they continue to do so today. While sailing, fishers paddle collaboratively when the wind is low and when the boat is leaking, some crew will bail the vessel. Once they arrive at the fishing grounds, fishers cast anchor, mend the fishnets, a…
They know more than we do, yet we appreciate them less than they deserve: Decoding local ontologies in heritage interpretation and preservation in Southern Tanzania
Many of the heritage sites researchers work on are reported to them by local people. Sometimes local people spend their meagre resources to protect such sites before researchers and heritage practitioners know about and visit them. Despite these roles, their (local people) skillsets and knowledge about the sites, including materials therein, are often ignored. A few researchers who value the contributions of local people give them temporary casua…
Geography (27 works) · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories (27 works) · Archaeology (24 works) · Tanzania (21 works) · History (15 works) · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation (13 works) · Cultural heritage (12 works) · Environmental planning (12 works) · History (12 works) · Swahili (11 works)