Historical amnesia: a study into the causes of the disconnection between communities and their rock art sites at Chongoni Rock Art World Heritage Site
Date
2013-01-29
Authors
Chiumia, Chrissy Chimodzi
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Abstract
This study examines the history by which the local communities became separated from
their ancestral heritage at Chongoni World Heritage Site in Malawi and then uses this
knowledge to improve the management and conservation of rock art sites in the area. It
demonstrates how various forces of the distant and immediate past came into play and
systematically disconnected the Chewa communities around Chongoni area from their
ancestral rock shelters once used by scores of generations for many important functions
such as rock painting, rainmaking ceremonies and boys and girls initiation rituals. It
shows that the separation of these communities from their heritage happened gradually in
various episodes spread over the past 150 years. The key factors that directly or indirectly
led to the separation included the early conquest of the Chewa communities by the Ngoni
and other groups; conflicts with early Christian missionaries; heavy handed policies of
the British colonial government; social and political failures of the post-independent
state; the rise of multiparty politics, governance and human freedoms and others. Using
local evidence, I build a case for each of the mentioned factors and shows how this
community is still in danger of not only being completely separated from their ancestral
heritage but also losing the remaining strands of their unique traditions. The study
concludes by making recommendations for instituting participatory approaches in the
management and conservation of Chongoni World Heritage Site.