During field research in the Kilwa District of Tanzania, I was invited to tour the island Kilwa Kisiwani. This provided the opportunity to conduct a survey of Kilwa Kisiwani’s natural and cultural heritage resources, and capture in-field data made up of observation, participation, and interview activities. The survey was named the Kisiwani Cultural Heritage Survey Excursion (KCHSE).
KCHSE objectives

• Survey and investigate the potential establishment of a coastal, archaeological, and/or cultural heritage tour for future visitors
• Discover a way to utilise the existing cultural heritage resources and practices, and provide new business opportunities for locals
• Meet, live, and experience the Kisiwani culture with locals
• Stay the night and experience their accommodation and hospitality
• Join local Kisiwani fisherman for morning fishing activities
• Explore the Kisiwani coastline from a snorkelling viewpoint
• Visit Kisiwani’s heritage and archaeological sites
• Meet some tourists/visitors to record their observations and opinions

The excursion
Saturday Afternoon
At 3:00pm my Field Study meeting with the Kilwa Kisiwani chairperson/chief was finished, and we were taken back through the Kiswiani village, and into the house of a local man known as Mr Bwanga. Like 90% of the population in Kilwa, he is of Muslim faith. I was told his name meant “football player”, in honour of his reputable sporting talent, and he now resides in the Kilwa District as a part time tour guide. Since my Field Study partner Revocatus Bugumba knew most of the residents (being the recent Kilwa Site Manager), I was able to be respectably introduced to the local residents, who were very welcoming and kind.

Meeting local man in Kilwa Kisiwani

After walking into Mr Bwanga’s house, two men came in and sat down. They ended up being two local fishermen/farmers, one of whom, Abdullah, was very knowledgeable about specialised plants for medicinal purposes, which is of course very similar to that of other Indigenous people’s knowledge of their homeland, such as Australian Aborigines. We talked about their work, such as octopus fishing, which went along the lines of stabbing the octopus, and allowing it to grapple its tentacles around your arm while you continuously stab it in the head, “until it loses all its strength and cannot hold onto you any longer!” Abdullah said.

Inside Mr Bwanga’s house. (Left to Right Revocatus, Abdullah, Mr Bwanga, Abdullah’s friend, Acting Site Manager Paul Nyelo)

They told us that they were not always successful on fishing trips, and that they learned their craft purely from experience and being taught by more experienced fishermen irrespective of age (proven by Abdullah’s friend who had learned how to fish in his mid 20s). Fortuitously, after only a brief conversation, sparked by an idea from the meeting earlier, the men accepted me to join their fishing work for the following morning. I accepted while trying to hold back excitement. Also noteworthy was the service of tea from Mr Bwanga’s wife and daughter. It was made of peppermint, cloves, and ginger, which created a sweet, spicy, and minty taste. We returned to Kilwa Masoka (the mainland) soon afterwards.
Saturday Evening
In the evening I was taken back to island of Kilwa Kisiwani by two local Kisiwani men. crossing the channel on a traditional Dhow fishing boat, and watching the sunset.

View of the sun setting while crossing the channel to Kisiwani

Mr Bwanga, who is also an employee of the Tanzanian Antiquities Division at the Kilwa District level, sailed the boat with his son Abdullah accompanying us. Also on the boat were a group of other Tanzanians from Dar es Salaam. When I arrived I was taken up to Mr Bwanga’s house to drop off my bag, needing little grasp of the native Kiswahili language to understand the direction I was being led. Abdullah then began to usher me around the island, showing me the historic forts, Arabic school and facilities, and some of the many wells in Kilwa Kisiwani. He explained how the houses were built with coral rock and rocky mud that is used like cement. Every person I met were kind enough to say “Mambo” (hello) and “Karibu” (welcome) in Kiswahili. When I said “Shikamo” (a respectful greeting to elders), they replied with the respectful response “Ma-haraba”.
Abdullah continued the tour past the Great Mosque and then towards the German House. He spoke about the house being built in 1879, the time which the Kilwa District was ruled by the Germans for 33 years, and after a long line of different rulers beforehand over centuries. Abdullah lives in the German House as the village “Watchman”, a respectful position in charge of supervising the waters beyond the island, from the advantageous viewpoint that the German House offers. He welcomed me inside for a visit, also showing me the house’s magnificent back porch area. Also in the house was an English to Kiswahili dictionary, which assisted me greatly. I was able to say “Me-zaa” to express having fun, after which he went into an hysterical laughter, even telling his father about it the following morning. On the walk back I showed him the Southern Cross in the night sky, which amazed him, especially when I spoke of the significance of it being used for navigation to Australia by past sailors. I also played the card game “Uno” with him, which he played with complete freedom, making up his own rules on the way.

Local Kisiwani people gathering in the evening

During the night I was sitting outside and was greeted by a very interesting local. He began teaching me some Kiswahili, particularly with the expression “toon-galley-kua pamodye”, which meant two people learning from eachother. He spoke with such animation, with wide open eyes, and an automatic responsiveness to everything I tried to communicate. I felt safe at all times, and they were very patient with me needing to regather my orientation in unfamiliar areas from time to time. The family provided me a dinner of rice, beans, sauce, and vegetables, accompanied by Mr Bwanga’s wife’s tasty tea. Following dinner, and after gazing at the incredibly clear night sky while allowing my food to digest, Abdullah said “Alarmsik” (farewell and goodnight), and went to his home quarters at the German House. I went to bed in my own room (thankfully with a mosquito net) in Mr Bwanga’s traditional African palm-leaved house, feeling an amazing sense of wonder at the very different world I was getting a brief but amazing taste of.
Sunday Morning
I was awoken and collected by Abdullah at 7:00am. At around 7:15, locals began gathering by the Kisiwani port in preparation for the morning’s fishing activities. Even though they knew absolutely no English to ask why I was with them, they seemed unfazed by my presence.

Local Kisiwani people gathering in the evening

Eventually, about 8-10 men had gathered as the sun rose, and a light cool breeze filled the air. I stared in confusion at a man alone on a Dhow boat filling multiple large bags with sand, while cleaning other empty bags. He eventually saw me and welcomed me on board, where I was joined by Abdullah and one other young man.
During the sail out, I was given a plastic container to empty out water leaking into the boat, and after a approx. 10 mins we stopped at a big red buoy. We began pulling up the rope connected to the buoy onto the boat, including the attached anchor. It took about 20 minutes to pull the whole rope up, as it was constantly getting snagged by either the boat itself, or by shells, twigs, rocks, etc.

One of the crabs caught in the net

When the net becomes tangled, one of the men uses a paddle to rotate the boat clockwise or anti-clockwise in order to straighten it. This is where the prepared bags of sand are put to use, as they are all positioned on one half of the boat, so that the lighter half of the boat (without sandbags) can rotate more easily. After the entire net has come up and all the fish have been taken off, they drop the anchor, net, and buoy back in the water, while leaving the captured fish to flap about on the bottom of the boat until becoming still.

Traditional fish trap

When the wind picks up, one man erects the sail to propel the boat forward, while another men either steers with the rudder at the stern, or continues to empty out water from the boat. Afterwards, they sail up and down the coastline monitoring the clear water for any other fish that can be speared (using a metal rod as a spear).

Snorkelling along the coastline nearby a fish trap

While the search for fish is happening up and down the coastline, you are able to begin snorkelling. There are beautiful sights to see, with a multitude of different coral reef and fish species appearing every time you choose to dip down.

Abdullah steering the Dhow boat

The water visibility is very clear, up to approx. 10 metres, and the water is nice and warm, approx. 22-26 degrees celsius. They allowed me to swim for almost 2 hours before returning to the port at 11:15am. On return, young Kisiwani boys can be seen fishing with hand lines from the main wharf.
At around 11:30am Abdullah continued the tour, showing me his personal house nearby the wharf. After 11 years he had almost completely built it, with only the concrete floor, and an added kitchen area to be done later. After leaving his house, we passed his Grandmother and Auntie’s housing area. Outside one of these houses I greeted 5 young boys, who were very shy yet excited to be meeting a foreigner. Abdullah pointed to a stone and demonstrated that it was a cooking tool by whirling his body like a tornado, which was one of the things he remembered us talking about the previous night.

Using a traditional Grinding Stone with local kids

After close inspection he started assembling what was actually a traditional Grinding Stone. He ushered me to try it, and after a few failed practice attempts he brought over the legitimate equipment used for grinding, and his Grandma brought out a bowl of rice. The device was very effective, with two very large and heavy round, circular stones used to smash up the rice, giving it a smooth, powdery consistency for their traditional cuisine (most probably “Ugali”). After giving all the kids high fives, a few of the villagers said “mambo”, including a different Abdullah, who I eventually recognised as the interesting man teaching me Kiswahili the previous night. A breakfast/lunch was then served back at Mr Bwanga’s peaceful little house, made up of delicious tea and cornflour pancakes.
Sunday Afternoon
A change of clothes after lunch was necessary for the afternoon’s walking around Kisiwani. Abdullah led me on a tour of the Kisiwani ruins, seeing: the Great Mosque, Makutani Palace and Ruins, the Dome Mosque, and Gereza Fort.

Inside the Dome Mosque

Abdullah gave a very knowledgeable dialogue on the heritage, history and archaeology, despite having very little grasp of English. This unfortunately meant that the tour dialogue was almost completely rehearsed, hence questioning him about certain aspects of the site was rather difficult.
On further observation, it was clear that the pathways and sites need to be cleared of grass. The sites should also be supervised daily to better direct visiting tourists, and to stop animals getting in and destroying the site. A group of goats had made their way inside the Gereza Fort area, and this should not be allowed to occur. Nonetheless, the tour was very peaceful and interesting, and I was able to meet two Tanzanian tourists at the Gereza Fort, who were happy to discuss my Field Study Project, and Kilwa Kisiwani’s conservation issues. They were also happy to provide contact details and fill out a questionnaire for research purposes.

Outside the magnificent walls of the Gereza Fort

After being provided lunch back at Mr Bwanga’s house, my stay had ended, and I was kindly directed towards the jetty to return back to Kilwa Masoko. I took a Dhow boat again, this time with a large group of older Tanzanian men and women. On arrival, Mr. Bwanga walked with me to a cafe to meet my study partner Revocatus, which officially ended the KCHSE.
Main outcomes of KCHSE

1. The main outcome of KCHSE is the birth of the “Kilwa Kisiwani Heritage Trail”: a trail highlighted by a picturesque sailing and snorkelling trail, where you have the option to sail with, assist, and/or observe the local fishermen using traditional fishing vessels, techniques, and fishing equipment such as: fish traps, fishing nets, and dhow boats. The snorkel would be followed by a guided journey throughout the island of Kisiwani, enjoying all the cultural heritage it has to offer including Ruins of World Heritage Status. One can also be taken to Kisiwani’s ship conservation area, to receive an interesting explanation on traditional boat construction, Kilwa’s maritime history and culture, traditional fishing techniques etc., and could include the observation of ship building in practice.
   

   View of Gereza Fort from boat

2. The beauty of the tour is the ability to include extra heritage tour options, such as: “learn how to use a grind stone”, “take a tour of the archaeological sites”, and enjoying locally grown and prepared consumables such as pawpaw, coconut, juice, fish, etc. There could also be other exclusive experiences on offer such as “Prayer in the Great Mosque”, religious and cultural demonstrations/participation, playing a football match against a local Kisiwani football team, and many more. Such adaptability to visitor’s preferences makes the trail as unique and special an experience as possible.
3. There can be many useful market research benchmarks to use during further development of the trail, such as Australia’s Great barrier Reef, Cambodia’s “Uncu Vet”, and Rome’s Palatine Hill.

Observations

• Tour guides need better English language skills
• The pathways and sites need to be cleared of grass so that the trail is more comfortable and visitor friendly
• Sites need to have daily on-site supervision for increased authoritative status, and to stop animals getting in and destroying the site.
• However, an increase of visitors to Kilwa Kisiwani from such tourism activities as presented in this document, could necessitate and financially support frequent site supervision, site cleaning, and path clearing of Kisiwani’s natural and cultural heritage resources.
• It will be a long time before SCUBA diving could be incorporated into the trail and operate profitably due to the scarcity and low quality of: technology, suppliers, resources, economy, and market.

Michael Williams, BA in Ancient History, GDip in Maritime Archaeology. Particularly interested in Maritime Heritage of the ancient Mediterranean. I have worked in Indigenous Aboriginal sites around New South Wales and in underwater sites in Port Macdonnell. Experience with archaeological drawing.

You have organised the best exhibition of the year, or set up a ground-breaking educational program. You have worked hard with curators, conservators, educators, everything is ready to rock, but now you wonder… how can I bring people in? How can I reach my audience, and what should I be telling them? Informing and engaging the public is a crucial process for the success and sustainability of heritage institutions. However, heritage-related university programs do not usually include any training in Communications, and heritage managers who cannot afford to recur to external experts might find themselves in serious troubles when it comes to communicate and promote what they are doing.

Some HERMA students participating in the workshop

This is why last April HMO organised the first Workshop in Communication Strategy for a group of 15 students from the joint MA in Heritage Management of the University of Kent and Athens University Business School. The workshop took place in Elefsina, a few meters away from the archaeological site of ancient Eleusis. The course instructor, Derwin Johnson, has a 20-year experience as a journalist for CNN and ABC, and is a professional media consultant and trainer.

Workshop instructor Derwin Johnson

The aim of the workshop was to give heritage managers the basic tools to communicate the identity, activities and events of their cultural organisation effectively in order to engage the right audience with the right messages.
Participants learnt how to produce a communication strategy, starting with identifying the appropriate audiences through a “conversation map”, where you can visualise all the groups interested in your message and select the most convenient for you. Once they knew who they were talking to, the students could then draft their key messages, the core ideas that they needed to express, and then learnt how to tweak those messages depending on the different media they wanted to use: more informal and experience-focussed for a blog, more simple and informative for a press release, more condensed and witty for social media. They had the chance to experiment with a wide variety of styles, always keeping an eye on the core message and reminding the importance of consistency.

Students brainstorming

A considerable amount of time was dedicated to interview simulations, where the students had to talk about their organisation in front of a camera and answer questions from Derwin playing the role of a journalist. They learnt how to catch attention and stay focussed on their messages, but also how to improvise in case of unexpected remarks.
The most successful feature of the course was that applied work immediately followed the theoretical lectures. Participants could put into practice what they just learned by working in groups under the supervision of the instructor, and receiving immediate feedback and further advice. A good example for that is the press conference simulation that took place on the last course day: each team had to present in a structured manner their piece of news to a (fake) audience of journalists ready to leave if they were bored or ask tricky and uncomfortable questions. It was a matter of coordination and team work, and students learnt the importance of being inspirational and audience-oriented when communicating their mission and messages.

Philanthropy is a word that dates back to the ancient Greeks and there is no better place to learn the true meaning and actions of the word than in Greece itself. The three-day workshop provided by the University of Kent’s Philanthropic centre took place last February in Elefsina, just a few kilometres from Athens. It was lead by Dr Triona Fitton, Dr Eddy Hogg and Dr John McLoughlin of the University of Kent, experts in the field of social policy, social research and sociology.

Philanthropy is part of the third sector, with more importance in some places than others. However, giving needs to be recognised as more than parting ways with money, but as a large system that encompasses and embraces all of humankind. A sector that brings people together, whether that be through volunteering, giving or asking. The fundraising workshop explained how this could be possible.

We learnt what we mean when we say philanthropy, why people and companies give, the core elements of fundraising, the different types of fundraisers and fundraising, and above all, how to make “the ask” and how to approach potential givers.
However, not all the workshop was lecture-based. We did post-it exercises on whether we personally give and why, and we participated in the debate of why heritage is a priority for fundraisers. On the last day of the workshop we were split into teams and were to pitch our own ways to fundraise for the HMO (the Heritage Management Organization) summer school programmes in Greece. All of which were great ideas and given the right amount of time can be implemented correctly.

Participation in this workshop did not go without merit. At the very end we were examined through the Institute of Fundraising online exam… and we all passed!
The workshop explained why fundraising is a well worth while thing to pursue, especially in the heritage sector, when heritage relies on the ‘love of man’ to be sustained. After three days of hard work and learning, the workshop had trained and gained 22 members of the Institute of Fundraising, all raring and ready to help many worthy causes.

Elizabeth Kearsey – BA in Classical Civilisation (University of Nottingham) now a student of the MA in Heritage Management. Lifetime student (so far). I am new to the work field of heritage, having previously worked with people with learning disabilities.

Woke up to a surprisingly warm day in late winter, taking abnormally uncrowded public transport from Elefsina to Acropolis station, which was perfect to pass the time with an engaging book. I caught up with the Museum Management class inside the Acropolis museum, stepping in on Dr Nota Pantzou’s description on finding hidden clues about how artefacts and statues were used, and what their imperfections could tell us about the people that handled them. We were taken through the museum investigating management responses to modern times, such as a new display of tools for marble carving, or recently exhibited replicas of ancient statues showing original colours.

Display of tools used for marble carving in ancient times (Acropolis Museum, replicas).

The next museum to see was the Athens University History Museum, which was reachable from the Acropolis Museum over a sloped, narrow road, and a great surrounding view of the Acropolis and Lykavittos Hill. The museum contained registries, paintings, monuments and laboratory equipment of the first university in Athens. The museum’s life is heightened by the organisation of educational programmes and cultural events performed within the museum’s unique courtyards.
After a downhill walk past the Roman Agora, passing street musicians and merchants, through to Thissio – where one can spot the Temple of Hephaestus sitting majestically within the Ancient Agora – the Public Archaeology tour had just begun. Our lecturer Dr Stelios Lekakis walked us to the starting point of our journey up the Eridanos river, seen at the centre of the Kerameikos archaeological site. A narrative of public occupation throughout ancient to modern times was told, as we walked past Roman attempts at river and road engineering, modern day flood management (would have preferred the Roman attempts), and 19th-20th century architecture such as the Eclectic and Neo-Classical style, seamlessly infused within contemporary buildings. Our bodies were walking on modern streets, but our minds were centred on the millennia of stratified urban construction hiding away a once majestic river, with only the occasional olive tree pointing us in the right direction. We also arrived just in time to witness the disciplined “Changing of the Guards” in front of Parliament in Syntagma square.

Steep view of road from the base Lykavittos towards Kolonaki, showing the river flow direction of the ancient Eridanos.

After an uphill stroll past Syntagma and Kolonaki, passing many archaeological sites oblivious to the public eye, we finally reached the exact location of the old spring that used to heavily feed the Eridanos river. Unfortunately it has now been built over by a pompous building, inside of which holds a fountain. From an urban perspective however, the natural topography that nurtured Athens’ ancient rivers could still be recognised from downhill views between city structures. So it was a bittersweet ending to the tour, teaching us how to investigate the past through a microscope on public space. We took a much deserved and very relaxing coffee at a lovely cafe nearby, reliving the day’s events and having a laugh or two.

Changing of the Guards routine in front of the Greek Parliament in Syntagma Square.

Photos by Alex Costas

Michael Williams, BA in Ancient History, GDip in Maritime Archaeology. Particularly interested in Maritime Heritage of the ancient Mediterranean. I have worked in Indigenous Aboriginal sites around New South Wales and in underwater sites in Port Macdonnell. Experience with archaeological drawing.

The museum is small, and if you pass by too quickly you will miss it. From the outside you wouldn’t know what an extraordinary part of humanity and human history is kept inside, all for our—the public’s— sake.
There seems to be one thing above all others that human beings give readily to one another, freely and without reserve, and usually without regret — cruelty. All the world’s histories are riddled with it and the twentieth century saw some of the best of the stuff we could muster. Greece is no exception, although her recent dark history is often overlooked.

Sketch of a displayed lion mask created by the exiled artist Katerina Hariati-Sismani, used in a theatrical production on the island by and for the exiles. The text (“Η ΦΟΝΗ ΤΟΥ ΕΧΟΡΙΣΤΟΥ”- “The Voice of the Exile”) is from the exiles’ self-published newspaper, and the barbed-wire is fashioned after a detail from an exile’s wood-block print.

The Museum of Political Exiles “Ai Stratis” has documented, archived, and displayed tangible and intangible memories of just such cruelty which occurred in Greece from the 1920s through to the late 1960s: the exile of “dangerous” individuals in the remotest islands of the country. The extraordinary thing about the Ai Stratis museum is that the Greeks who were internally exiled consciously documented their lives and works on the island with the intention of later creating a place to exhibit their experience. What they were unable to do their descendants took up and completed, and created a place for the public to learn and remember.

Engraved stone depicting life in exile. Tsakiris, Kyriakos.

Exiles’ self-published hand-written newspaper “The Voice of the Exile”. OSPE, 1947.

The island of Ai Stratis was home to a local population which cohabitated with thousands of political exiles imprisoned there over a span of forty-plus years. The exhibition includes the material remains of the exiles’ life on the island, from a mock-up of a typical male bedroom-hut to artifacts from daily life. What made the biggest impression, touched me the deepest, was that the exhibition isn’t one of photo-documentation, walls of pictures of people emaciated and dying, but one of beautiful art. There is darkness reflected in that art, yes, but there is tenderness, and happiness, joy, entertainment, and hope too. The nature of political exile usually includes a nation’s intelligentsia, artists, writers and poets and Ai Stratis was no exception. That these people continued to live and practice their art, the highest level of humanity, in the face of the lowest level, is what impresses. What’s more is that other exiles who did not already possess a talent for art used their time and the scant resources on the island to learn and to create; the results, as we see displayed in the museum, are some of the most wonderful sculptures, paintings, engravings, prints, poetry and even theatrical masks created in this part of the world in the twentieth century.
The Museum of Political Exiles “Ai Stratis” is a place for the public to witness and interact with the remains of memories, both good and bad, of Greek exiles who transcended their dark circumstance and cruelty. The experience of that museum, and having class conducted in it, was brilliant.
Photos and sketch by Alex Costas.

Alexandros Costas has a BA (Hons) in Comparative Religious Studies (San Jose State University) and is now a student of the MA in Heritage Management. He worked in study abroad in Greece for over ten years, and through that experience observed the interactions of foreign students with Greek heritage, inspiring him to learn more about heritage and the public.

The future of Namibian heritage lies in the hands of learners and students in schools, colleges and universities.
When Namibia gained its independence from South Africa’s apartheid regime in 1990, it inherited an extremely biased educational system, the “Bantu Education”, which used Afrikaans and English as teaching languages, made no reference to Namibian heritage, and only limited mention of Namibian history. Unfortunately, I myself was educated under this teacher-centered system that neither promoted independent thinking, nor used examples familiar to us in any of the subjects we were taught.
In 1998, just a year before the end of my high school, new learner-centered syllabi were introduced which tried to include more familiar contents, with Namibian case studies as examples. But this was probably not enough. In fact, in 2010 the Namibian Institute for Educational Development (NIED, the national centre for curriculum development), asked the Museum Association of Namibia to carry out research in order to assess how well heritage was integrated in school syllabi and tertiary education, and to propose recommendations that could be applied during the coming syllabi review. I had the chance to be part of the team tasked with doing this research, and I was thrilled to give my contribution.
We started with an analysis of school syllabi and universities course outlines. Subjects ranged from Science and Geography to History, Arts & Design, and Religion. For the tertiary level we considered departments including Visual and Performing Arts, Biology, Tourism, and Language. The study clearly showed that most subjects lacked any correlation to our past and present heritage. Therefore, we made suggestions to include heritage-related examples not only in the Humanities, but also in the area of Science. For instance, in Physics, to explain the notion of “friction” in Grade 8, we proposed to introduce as an example the traditional ways the San community used to obtain fire by rubbing sticks.

School students showcasing their research findings at SCAMX 2010

As for the methodology, we suggested to encourage site visits and school competitions, such as the School Clubs and Museums Exhibition (SCAMX), an annual event dedicated to young people engagement in museum and heritage development, aiming at making Namibian museums more inclusive and education-oriented. We also proposed to establish synergies between curriculum developers, heritage institutions and local communities, so as to include local traditional knowledge in the syllabi for the new generations.

Exhibition of traditional houses at SCAMX 2010

Overall, our aim was to incorporate in Namibian education the value of our environment and our cultural heritage so as to allow young people to learn about their own history and heritage and thus form their identity. The desk and field research were the most interesting parts for me because I had the chance to discuss with curriculum developers and heads of departments, and understand through hands-on experience the real significance of heritage and its role in society. This was a good start for Namibia, I am looking forward to seeing the revised syllabi!
Photos by the Museum Association of Namibia

 Helvi Inotila Elago has a Bachelor in Education (Economics and Business Studies), a PGD (hons.) in Museum and Heritage Studies, and is currently a student of the MA in Heritage Management. She has worked in heritage for 5 years and she would like to focus on the preservation of heritage through education and public engagement.