Shared History, Urban Landscapes, and Local Arts and Crafts : Perspectives on Cultural Heritage as a Means of Sustainable Community Development in Iringa, Tanzania

Abstract

This book explores cultural, social, and economic links between cultural heritage and sustainable community development in an applied heritage conservation programme in Iringa, Tanzania. Based on ethnographic approaches, it seeks to understand the case in its context by following three specific lines of inquiry. The first line of inquiry addresses historical memory and interpretation as a form of heritage work, exploring the history of Iringa from different perspectives. The author works out that colonial history carries ambiguous connotations across different social groups, which require sensitive procedures of joint confrontation and re-interpretation. The second line of inquiry investigates the socio-spatial heritage of Iringa, examining built heritage as a contact zone of cultural performance and intercultural communication. The author argues that the establishment of a regional museum and cultural centre has created a safe and inclusive public space that offers educational, recreational, and business opportunities for various social groups in the community. The third line of inquiry focusses on the economic harnessing of cultural heritage, evaluating the potential of local art and craft to support community livelihoods in rural Iringa. The author shows how the investigated artisan initiatives link heritage craft with the globalizing world of today and support economic independence of women in particular. The study concludes that the integration of historical, socio-spatial, and heritage craft management can be regarded as a best practice approach that lends itself for replication in other contexts. However, the study results call for further research to theoretically sensitize and methodologically refine sustainable approaches to cultural heritage management.