Dr Munyaradzi Elton Sagiya is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Bindura University of Science Education, Zimbabwe. Prior to his current employment, Munyaradzi was a Curator of Archaeology and Head of the Research and Conservation department (March 2010 – April 2021) at Great Zimbabwe World Heritage Site. He is also the Principal Investigator for the British Museum’s Endangered Material Knowledge Programme, a research project which aims at documenting the knowledge, skills and practices of dry-stone masonry at Great Zimbabwe. 

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Abstract: Since the early 1980s, efforts to decolonise archaeological heritage management practices in Zimbabwe have been ongoing, in response to calls from spirit mediums, traditional leaders, local communities, heritage state agencies, among other stakeholders. However, the colonial philosophies and practices of looking after heritage are still embedded within institutional and legal frameworks that govern heritage resources. Consequently, in recent years, the calls have become louder, particularly from academia and heritage practitioners for the development and adoption of locally and community informed systems and approaches of managing heritage. Relying on personal experiences and datasets from heritage management research carried out in north-western Zimbabwe between 2017 – 2022, this presentation examines the governance of heritage in post-colonial Zimbabwe. The presentation discusses the challenges and opportunities for reconciling the local and customary community-based heritage management frameworks with the ones introduced during the colonial era (1890 -1980). The presentation argues for, and makes recommendations for legal, institutional, and operational reforms in the heritage sector, to match the rapid political, economic, and cultural transformations that are manifesting in Zimbabwe and the rest of the world.