{"title":"The Philosophical Dilemma of Conserving the African Heritage: A Case Study of the Treatment of the Kondoa Rock Art World Heritage Site in Tanzania","authors":"Rahel Lucas Kisusi, N. Lwoga","doi":"10.1080/13505033.2022.2160074","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The Western conservation philosophy has become dominant among practitioners, thereby posing a dilemma in the treatment of African heritage. This article explores the traditional conservation principles and the dilemma they pose to the modern practitioners, using a case study of the Kondoa Rock Art World Heritage Site in Tanzania. Community engagement methods including in-depth interviews with 25 residents and 12 focus group discussions, and non-participant observation revealed that rock art is appreciated by residents as an active cultural construct, reflecting their connectivity with the past, identity, and future expectations. The residents employ the conservation system that is built on the principles of intangibility, change, and continuity. However, the dilemma still prevails with modern conservation principles of materiality, permanency, and durability of rock art, and aesthetics and artistic values. The study argues for an integrated approach, mixing modern and traditional conservation tenets, and for the significance of community engagement methods.","PeriodicalId":44482,"journal":{"name":"Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3000,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13505033.2022.2160074","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"ARCHAEOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
ABSTRACT The Western conservation philosophy has become dominant among practitioners, thereby posing a dilemma in the treatment of African heritage. This article explores the traditional conservation principles and the dilemma they pose to the modern practitioners, using a case study of the Kondoa Rock Art World Heritage Site in Tanzania. Community engagement methods including in-depth interviews with 25 residents and 12 focus group discussions, and non-participant observation revealed that rock art is appreciated by residents as an active cultural construct, reflecting their connectivity with the past, identity, and future expectations. The residents employ the conservation system that is built on the principles of intangibility, change, and continuity. However, the dilemma still prevails with modern conservation principles of materiality, permanency, and durability of rock art, and aesthetics and artistic values. The study argues for an integrated approach, mixing modern and traditional conservation tenets, and for the significance of community engagement methods.
期刊介绍:
The journal Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites (CMAS) has established itself as the primary reference in this field, both for active professionals and for university teachers and students. Launched in 1995, it is the only journal that covers both theoretical and practical issues in heritage site management and conservation. Peer-reviewed papers from around the world report on new thinking and best practice in site management and conservation. Topics covered include: •Cultural, social, ethical and theoretical issues in archaeological site management and conservation •Site management •Historical documentation and condition reporting •Site deterioration and environmental monitoring •Preventative conservation, including reburial and protective sheltering of sites •Building materials analysis and treatment •Restoration and reconstruction of buildings •Visitor management and sustainable tourism •Site interpretation •National and international legislation and charters