The Luangwa Valley in eastern Zambia is one of the best places in Africa to see wildlife and big game. Walking safaris were started here, and its four national parks attract tourists and thrill-seekers from all over the world, hoping to get close to hippos, elephants, zebras and leopards.
The region has also been home to humans for more than two million years. Geologists and anthropologists have been working here for decades, and recently archaeologists have discovered a wealth of stone tools scattered all over the area. Most finds from the
valley are taken away to the museum in Livingstone, or loaned to universities in South Africa, the US or UK for research. Local people rarely see them.
Now there are plans to stop the loss of the artefacts from the area and to help local people, who have little interaction with tourists or tour operators and enjoy limited economic benefit from the wildlife industry proliferating around them.
Lawrence Barham, a senior lecturer in archaeology at the University of Liverpool, who has been involved in excavations in Zambia for nearly 15 years and is now involved in the Luangwa Valley, is working with the country's National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC) on plans to build a heritage centre in Mfuwe, the town nearest to the national parks.
'Mfuwe has a wildlife education centre, anti-poaching squads and wildlife-related charities galore, but as yet, nothing comparable for the humans who live there,' says Barham. 'Eastern Zambia has no museum or well-interpreted site. While domestic and international tourism in Zambia are growing, particularly in this area, the focus is on the wildlife and not the people. This imbalance needs to be addressed.'
The problem is compounded by the loss of the cultural heritage of the valley's people, as plastic containers replace traditional pots and baskets, and recycled clothing from the west replaces bark cloth and local cotton. 'It is nearly too late,' warns Barham. 'But if we act now, we are in time to save the valley's heritage for future generations.'
The Luangwa Valley Heritage Centre would be a permanent home for the archaeological finds and would provide facilities for storage, washing and labelling, as well as lab space. Finds would also be interpreted for visitors, explains Barham, who gives talks about the artefacts in local schools and is well known in the area. 'It would be a place for people to see the finds, not in a sanitised or isolated environment, but in their own context,' he says.
Research facilities would extend to zoology, geography and biological sciences, as well as archaeology and anthropology. 'It has been our dream for a long time,' says Sinvula Mundumoko, the regional director of the NHCC.
'In effect, we would be looking at the valley as a kind of laboratory, where researchers and students would have the opportunity to test their methodologies on site. It is important to recognise that Mfuwe has an extremely rich cultural, as well as natural, landscape. It is the only area in Zambia with both animal and plant fossils, and it is only proper that the heritage centre is built here.'
It would also act as a link between conservators such as the NHCC and the community, and be a crucial source of income, adds Mundumoko. 'There is currently no forum to interact on a regular basis,' he says. 'Local people would play a day-to-day role in the running of the heritage centre and would receive training in conservation, storage, guiding, general interpretation and other key skills, such as security and maintenance, supported by the NHCC.
'Mfuwe has the infrastructure to support tourists and visitors, with an international airport, road network and lodge accommodation. The centre would complement the role played by the national parks, especially as the site is just outside the main park gates.
'We want to enhance and diversify the tourism product in the area, so the centre would indeed help tourists understand Zambia better. If we can begin to educate visitors about the people - past and present - everyone can benefit.'
Crucially, the centre would also tie into local life by providing an arena where people could make, display and sell their products. From the point of view of the local community, Mfuwe is the ideal place to host the heritage centre, says Collins Chipote, the senior conservation officer for the NHCC region that includes the Luangwa Valley.
'Local crafts and products ranging from curios to basketry are currently sold along the airport road, where no shelter or sanitary facilities exist,' he says. 'Since the artisans would be operating from one general area, they can easily share ideas on how best to make and market their products. Moreover, they can be reached for any tips in health, hygiene, agriculture or, indeed, conservation. The centre would also be ideal for pupils from primary and secondary schools. The nature, location and scope of the centre would be second to none in eastern Zambia.'
Chipote, who has an MA in heritage management from Cambridge, has played a central role in the plans, from developing the architectural concept to community relations. He will stay closely involved if the plans go ahead.
'My experience at Cambridge did a lot in shaping my skills in heritage management,' he says. 'My role, while working with other colleagues, would be to develop a storyline for the exhibition, and to work closely with the exhibition designer so that the design meets acceptable international standards. I would be helping facilitate community involvement in the exhibition, especially on the ethnography gallery.'
Chipote reports that local people are enthusiastic and expectant. 'What they are basically looking for is gainful employment,' he says. Unfortunately, the Mfuwe area has a low level of literacy and high unemployment. Chipote feels that as there is also a lack of trained and skilled manpower, the NHCC's role would be crucial. But with the NHCC's support, Chipote believes the centre will be able to generate funds to meet its operational costs.
The land earmarked for the centre, which has been designed in traditional style using locally made bricks and thatch sourced from nearby escarpments, is controlled by the local chief. 'We meet regularly at the start and end of each excavation season to discuss the plans and progress,' says Barham. 'He offered the land around the baobab tree after I raised the possibility of the centre with him, but naturally he wants to know how it will benefit his people. For example, he asked me how it would be useful if the crops failed.'
As well as support on a local, regional and national level in Zambia, Barham has the backing of the University of Liverpool to raise funds in its name - but, as yet, no hard cash.
'The NHCC architect has calculated that £250,000 is needed for building costs,' says Barham. 'It doesn't sound that much, but one of the biggest problems with fundraising in Africa is that heritage can be seen as "unnecessary" compared with education, health and food.' But they are inextricably linked, he says.
'A success in the Luangwa Valley would, we hope, be replicable elsewhere in this vast country with its 70-plus tribes, each of which is rapidly losing the material evidence of its rich cultural heritage.'
Deborah Mulhearn is a freelance journalist
The region has also been home to humans for more than two million years. Geologists and anthropologists have been working here for decades, and recently archaeologists have discovered a wealth of stone tools scattered all over the area. Most finds from the
valley are taken away to the museum in Livingstone, or loaned to universities in South Africa, the US or UK for research. Local people rarely see them.
Now there are plans to stop the loss of the artefacts from the area and to help local people, who have little interaction with tourists or tour operators and enjoy limited economic benefit from the wildlife industry proliferating around them.
Lawrence Barham, a senior lecturer in archaeology at the University of Liverpool, who has been involved in excavations in Zambia for nearly 15 years and is now involved in the Luangwa Valley, is working with the country's National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC) on plans to build a heritage centre in Mfuwe, the town nearest to the national parks.
'Mfuwe has a wildlife education centre, anti-poaching squads and wildlife-related charities galore, but as yet, nothing comparable for the humans who live there,' says Barham. 'Eastern Zambia has no museum or well-interpreted site. While domestic and international tourism in Zambia are growing, particularly in this area, the focus is on the wildlife and not the people. This imbalance needs to be addressed.'
The problem is compounded by the loss of the cultural heritage of the valley's people, as plastic containers replace traditional pots and baskets, and recycled clothing from the west replaces bark cloth and local cotton. 'It is nearly too late,' warns Barham. 'But if we act now, we are in time to save the valley's heritage for future generations.'
The Luangwa Valley Heritage Centre would be a permanent home for the archaeological finds and would provide facilities for storage, washing and labelling, as well as lab space. Finds would also be interpreted for visitors, explains Barham, who gives talks about the artefacts in local schools and is well known in the area. 'It would be a place for people to see the finds, not in a sanitised or isolated environment, but in their own context,' he says.
Research facilities would extend to zoology, geography and biological sciences, as well as archaeology and anthropology. 'It has been our dream for a long time,' says Sinvula Mundumoko, the regional director of the NHCC.
'In effect, we would be looking at the valley as a kind of laboratory, where researchers and students would have the opportunity to test their methodologies on site. It is important to recognise that Mfuwe has an extremely rich cultural, as well as natural, landscape. It is the only area in Zambia with both animal and plant fossils, and it is only proper that the heritage centre is built here.'
It would also act as a link between conservators such as the NHCC and the community, and be a crucial source of income, adds Mundumoko. 'There is currently no forum to interact on a regular basis,' he says. 'Local people would play a day-to-day role in the running of the heritage centre and would receive training in conservation, storage, guiding, general interpretation and other key skills, such as security and maintenance, supported by the NHCC.
'Mfuwe has the infrastructure to support tourists and visitors, with an international airport, road network and lodge accommodation. The centre would complement the role played by the national parks, especially as the site is just outside the main park gates.
'We want to enhance and diversify the tourism product in the area, so the centre would indeed help tourists understand Zambia better. If we can begin to educate visitors about the people - past and present - everyone can benefit.'
Crucially, the centre would also tie into local life by providing an arena where people could make, display and sell their products. From the point of view of the local community, Mfuwe is the ideal place to host the heritage centre, says Collins Chipote, the senior conservation officer for the NHCC region that includes the Luangwa Valley.
'Local crafts and products ranging from curios to basketry are currently sold along the airport road, where no shelter or sanitary facilities exist,' he says. 'Since the artisans would be operating from one general area, they can easily share ideas on how best to make and market their products. Moreover, they can be reached for any tips in health, hygiene, agriculture or, indeed, conservation. The centre would also be ideal for pupils from primary and secondary schools. The nature, location and scope of the centre would be second to none in eastern Zambia.'
Chipote, who has an MA in heritage management from Cambridge, has played a central role in the plans, from developing the architectural concept to community relations. He will stay closely involved if the plans go ahead.
'My experience at Cambridge did a lot in shaping my skills in heritage management,' he says. 'My role, while working with other colleagues, would be to develop a storyline for the exhibition, and to work closely with the exhibition designer so that the design meets acceptable international standards. I would be helping facilitate community involvement in the exhibition, especially on the ethnography gallery.'
Chipote reports that local people are enthusiastic and expectant. 'What they are basically looking for is gainful employment,' he says. Unfortunately, the Mfuwe area has a low level of literacy and high unemployment. Chipote feels that as there is also a lack of trained and skilled manpower, the NHCC's role would be crucial. But with the NHCC's support, Chipote believes the centre will be able to generate funds to meet its operational costs.
The land earmarked for the centre, which has been designed in traditional style using locally made bricks and thatch sourced from nearby escarpments, is controlled by the local chief. 'We meet regularly at the start and end of each excavation season to discuss the plans and progress,' says Barham. 'He offered the land around the baobab tree after I raised the possibility of the centre with him, but naturally he wants to know how it will benefit his people. For example, he asked me how it would be useful if the crops failed.'
As well as support on a local, regional and national level in Zambia, Barham has the backing of the University of Liverpool to raise funds in its name - but, as yet, no hard cash.
'The NHCC architect has calculated that £250,000 is needed for building costs,' says Barham. 'It doesn't sound that much, but one of the biggest problems with fundraising in Africa is that heritage can be seen as "unnecessary" compared with education, health and food.' But they are inextricably linked, he says.
'A success in the Luangwa Valley would, we hope, be replicable elsewhere in this vast country with its 70-plus tribes, each of which is rapidly losing the material evidence of its rich cultural heritage.'
Deborah Mulhearn is a freelance journalist
