Sustainable Cities Past and Present – Lessons from pre-colonial urban settlements in Africa
Countries, Cities: Gweru, Zimbabwe; Dar es salam, Tanzania; Pretoria, South Africa
This is Phase 2 of the SARDC Teaching Research Course – ARC 420 Research Project, which is an innovative South-South collaboration of three universities and SARDC’s History Institute which covers Southern Africa. The project is a continuation of SARDC Phase 1 that was implemented over two years 2022/2023.
The collaborating universities are Midlands State University in Zimbabwe, University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and University of Pretoria in South Africa.
Major Outcomes of Phase 1 – Teaching Research
• In several hybrid partner meetings, the partners discussed the necessity of the research topic and identified gaps in the existing teaching modules at their respective universities.
• Adoption of the teaching research course by Midlands State University, as part of the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Archaeology, Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies. Course title: Urbanisation and Development In pre-colonial Africa.
• Adoption of the teaching research course by the University of Dar es Salaam, which has an existing undergraduate course for BA programmes in the Department of History titled Population and Urban History of Tanzania, which is core. The new MA course in the MA History programme is titled Urbanization, Society and Environment, and is elective.
• Later in the year, in October, the partners planned and organized an innovative and very successful Teaching on Site workshop at Great Zimbabwe heritage site, including students from all three countries and involving also a professor and a lecturer from the local Great Zimbabwe University. The workshop ran for five days, with four days on site and the opening in Harare by the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology. Senior research specialists from Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe conducted a guided visit around the extensive site, together with an archaeology professor from the local university. This was a unique experience for the students and the lecturers, and all were fully engaged.
The Phase 2 Teaching Research Course activities will include teaching exchanges and a Teaching on Site Workshop at Kilwa Heritage Site in Tanzania involving lecturers and students from the partner institutions. This will build on the success of Phase I which had an innovative on-site teaching workshop at Great Zimbabwe, drawing lessons from the interaction between two precolonial African cities that were trading partners. Kilwa is a coastal city that was an active port, whereas Great Zimbabwe was a large inland city-state.
The objectives of the initiative are mainly to strengthen the development of teaching and research skills; improve the appreciation of pre-colonial societies, and draw relevant lessons.
SDG #11 Targets
Lead partner
Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC)
Team
Midland State University
- Dr Terence Mashingaidze – Senior Lecturer in the Department of History and Director of the Harare Campus of MSU, former Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts
- Ms. Nyasha Gurira, MA – Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology, Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies
University of Dar es Salaam
- Dr Oswald Masebo – Senior Lecturer, Head of Department of History at the University of Dar es Salaam
- Dr Frank Edward – Lecturer, Department of History at the University of Dar es Salaam
University of Pretoria
- Prof Innocent Pikirayi – Professor in Archaeology and Head of the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
- Dr Alexander Antonites – Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
SARDC – Southern African Research and Documentation Centre – An independent regional knowledge resource centre and think tank that contributes to strengthening regional policy perspectives through innovative research methods, and tracks implementation on policy issues in southern Africa.
- Mr. Raymond Ndhlovu, MA – Senior Researcher/Writer and Program Manager
- Ms Vennah Makoni – Researcher/Writer
Cooperation Partners
Southern African Research and Documentation Centre
Midlands State University
University of Dar es Salaam
University of Pretoria