Understanding Cultural Landscape at Great Zimbabwe

Using Karanga/Kalanga concepts of cosmology and philosophy as well as local narratives, this book provides new perspectives on the cultural landscape of Great Zimbabwe and contributes to the reformation of the practice, interpretation, and construction of archaeological narratives in Africa.

Understanding Cultural Landscape at Great Zimbabwe: Realms of Power by Ashton Sinamai engages with archaeology through Karanga/Kalanga concepts of cosmology and philosophy to understand the landscape at Great Zimbabwe, the medieval city and cultural heritage site. Sinamai un-disciplines and decolonializes archaeology and highlights aspects of the landscape that have been impacted by colonial legislations, nationalization, and internationalization. This book provides new perspectives on the landscape, and it addresses debates among African and Western archaeologists in reforming the practice, interpretation, and construction of archaeological narratives in Africa. Sinamai debunks Western myths by exploring African heritage through diverse knowledge systems to illuminate our understanding of place. Each chapter unfurls a variety of facets within Great Zimbabwe, discovering what a place can mean, how it shapes culture, and what emotions and memories can be evoked through local narratives. This book goes beyond human memory and shows how the landscape also remembers. African knowledge systems are essential to the development and understanding of African archaeology and African heritage management systems.