From monuments to cultural landscapes: Rethinking heritage management in Botswana
This thesis aims to understand how Manonnye Gorge in eastern Botswana can be sustainably managed as both a natural and cultural landscape. At issue are conflicting views over the meaning and legitimate uses of the Gorge by the National Museum, Monuments and Art Gallery (NMMAG), tourists, and the community in Moremi, at the edge of the gorge. Regional survey in the gorge and ethnographic research with the Moremi community led to a more complex understanding of how conflicting perceptions of the gorge as a sacred cultural landscape by community members and as a natural monument by NMMAG have affected implementation of ecotourism projects. The thesis critiques the idea of the gorge as simply a natural monument and provides recommendations for reassessing management plans and ecotourism projects.