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Research Project:
Workshop on Inventory and Documentation of Dry Stone Structures
Botswana, 2003

Place: Gaborone, Botswana
Dates: 2 July– 19 November
Partner: Botswana National Museums

Objectives: The main objectives of the workshop were to:

• develop an inventory form for dry stone structures for sub-Saharan Africa;
• share experiences in the field of documentation and inventory of dry stone structures;
• establish a database for dry stone structures in sub-Saharan Africa;
• develop a more comprehensive and useful documentation system for all dry stone sites in sub-Saharan Africa.
  

Structure: The workshop was divided into two parts.

The Seminar Discussion was held in Gaborone and was aimed at discussing issues pertaining to the documentation and inventory of dry stone structures. In addition to discussing the principles of inventory and documentation, participants were introduced to the behavior and characteristic of dry stone structures. The participants, in groups, designed an inventory form suitable for dry stone structures.

The Fieldwork Component was designed as a hands-on exercise. 10 days were spent doing the field work. The exercise began by filling in the designed inventory form and making photographic records for four sites. A detailed condition survey was then carried out on two sites, Majojo and Domboshaba. The field exercise was aimed at:

• inventorying the site;
• defining the extent of the site;
• creating a record that will enable the site to be monitored.

Results:

• 18 participants from 9 countries attended the workshop and shared experiences.
• The four resource persons who coordinated the workshop are former participants or resource persons of the Regional Course in Mombasa.
• Four dry stone walled structures were inventoried and a photographic record of the sites were made.
• Detailed condition surveys and mapping were done on two sites, Majojo and Domboshaba.
• Recommendations were made regarding sharing experiences and doing regional projects.
  

For more information on the course, see the final report (Pdf 726 KB).