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Research Project:
Workshop to Establish a Research Programme for Dry Stone Masonry in Southern Africa
Great Zimbabwe, 2000

Background: From 11 - 13 December 2000, a workshop was held at Great Zimbabwe National Monument on the topic of Establishing a Research Programme for Dry Stone Masonry in Southern Africa. The idea emanated from the recommendations of the 1999 Directors Seminar. The workshop was conceived and organized by a participant of the 1st Regional Course in Mombasa.

Workshop Objectives: The objectives of the workshop were to:

• serve as a brainstorming session for participants to come up with an agreed agenda on typological research and conservation strategy for dry-stone wall monuments;
• take stock of the amount and types of dry-stone walls in the sub-region;
• assess the standards and quality of documentation applied in different countries and propose minimum documentation standards for the proposed research;
• establish a refined grouping of different types of dry-stone walling monuments using either their architectural (construction) affinities, or their cultural (material) affinities, or construction material affinities or similarities in decorations, etc.;
• assign different participants with specific research issues;
• decide on a programme of action which will ensure that the objectives of the proposed research are achieved.

Structure: 25 participants attended the workshop from 6 countries in the sub-region. Regional participants were asked to present reports on an overview of the number and status of dry stone monuments in their own countries as well as the management framework, the conservation and documentation status and the research and presentation status of these sites. Working groups on inventory, documentation, management and conservation, and training. A site visit was also made to the Great Zimbabwe monument. Webber Ndoro, a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, represented AFRICA 2009.

Results:

• 25 participants (17 from Zimbabwe and 8 from the sub-region) took part including a traditional dry-stone mason from Mozambique.
• An agenda and strategy for research on dry stone masonry was adopted.
• The MAHWE Heritage Association was founded to spearhead the research programme (MAHWE means stones in several sub-regional languages).
• The workshop was conceived and implemented by a participant of the Regional Course in Mombasa in 1999. X professionals who have taken part in other AFRICA 2009 activities took part in the workshop.
  

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