What African Heritage Means to Me

Lovemore Mandima in front of the ruins of the city of Great Zimbabwe.

Lovemore Mandima

MY ROLE: Site Manager at Great Zimbabwe in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe.

MY AFRICAN HERITAGE, IN ONE WORD: Richness.

PRESERVING GREAT ZIMBABWE: The preservation of our heritage helps to keep African culture intact, continuing the upkeep of African norms and values. The impact of natural disasters is the biggest challenge for the structural integrity of Great Zimambwe.

Great Zimbabwe encompasses extensive areas of archaeological remains, and is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Heba Badr

MY ROLE: Architect at Takiyyat Ibrahim al-Gulshani in Cairo, Egypt.

MY AFRICAN HERITAGE, IN ONE WORD: Colors.

PRESERVING TAKIYYAT IBRAHIM AL-GULSHANI: Capacity building, knowledge exchange, and meaningful collaboration between the conservation team, Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities staff, and our neighbors living and working around the site are some of the greatest opportunities stemming from the preservation of Takiyyat Ibrahim al-Gulshani. It’s becoming a catalyst for a new way of thinking and sustaining our work long after we depart the scene.

Takiyyat Ibrahim al-Gulshani, 2017. Photo credit: Matjaz Kacicnik.

Conservation at Takiyyat Ibrahim al-Gulshani provides an opportunity to help the Ministry of Antiquities improve documentation standards and define a conservation action plan for the complex.

One of WMF’s first projects in the 1960s was at the churches of Lalibela.

Fkereselase Sifir

MY ROLE: Site Architect at the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia, and Aba Jifar Palace in Jimma, Ethiopia.

MY AFRICAN HERITAGE, IN ONE WORD: Identity.

PRESERVING THE ROCK-HEWN CHURCHES OF LALIBELA: In Lalibela, the challenge of working on a heritage site which is so loved and revered, sometimes comes into conflict with the practical and scientific decisions that need to be made.

PRESERVING ABA JIFAR PALACE: The greatest opportunity in the preservation of this site is training the local people to take care of their own built heritage.

The Aba Jifar Palace is the most important heritage site in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, and a symbol of cultural identity.

Joseph Lawu

MY ROLE: Curatorial Department, National Commission for Museums and Monuments Nigeria, stewards of Sukur Cultural Landscape in Madagali Local Government Area, Nigeria.

MY AFRICAN HERITAGE, IN ONE WORD: Prosperity.

PRESERVING THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF SUKUR: Some of the biggest challenges to preserving Sukur are wind, rainstorms, and erosion. The greatest opportunity for the site lies in the succession of Chieftainship and Titles.

Sukur Cultural Landscape, 2006. Photo credit: Dipo Alafiatayo.

Historically, the Sukur community practiced terrace agriculture and dominated iron production due to the availability of magnetite, an iron ore, and wood for making charcoal.

The Kua ruins are all that remains from a medieval Swahili town.

Fabian Kigadye

MY ROLE: Deputy Head of Antiquities Division, Kua Ruins in Juani Island, Tanzania

MY AFRICAN HERITAGE, IN ONE WORD: Identity.

PRESERVING THE KUA RUINS: The biggest challenge is accessibility, as the ruins are located in the small Juani Island, off the main island of Mafia, with no reliable public transport. There is potential for Kua to be listed as a mixed world heritage site by UNESCO— the ruins have an abundance of heritage resources, a rich culture, and are surrounded by marine resources. In the future, the island of Mafia will be a hub of tourism for its pristine beaches, diving and snorkeling, as well as whale watching.

The surviving structures at Kua include the ruins of residences, mosques, and what is believed to have been the sultan’s palace.

Celebrating African Cultural Heritage Every Day

Thank you to all our partners, architects, technicians, site managers, supporters and stewards throughout Africa—our work at heritage sites is only made possible because of people like you.