Colin Breen & Daniel Rhodes. Archaeology and international development in Africa.
Lane, Paul
COLIN BREEN & DANIEL RHODES. Archaeology and international
development in Africa. 160 pages, 14 illustrations, 5 tables. 2010.
London: Duckworth; 978-0-7156-3905-4 paperback 12.99 [pounds sterling].
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It is likely that many an archaeologist, at one time or another
during their career, has had cause to ponder on the broader social value
of their work and to reflect on whether they might make a 'bigger
difference' (however defined) by doing something else. It is
certainly common to hear such doubts from those whose research takes
them to parts of the so-called developing world (hereafter LDCs, Least
Developed Countries), but few have the temerity to express them in
print. Not so in this case, as is made clear in the Preface to this
slim, but engaging volume. More specifically, what apparently prompted
the authors to write this book came from a chance encounter in the back
of a taxi in Khartoum with an Irish aid worker and the conversation that
ensued. I might be partly responsible for their sense of ennui in the
first place, as I had been among those who encouraged both to begin
working in Africa (p. 12) and even helped facilitate some of their
trips. I would, however, prefer to put it down to the scarcity of
Guinness in The Sudan!
The book contains eight chapters of around fifteen to twenty pages,
with relatively light referencing that directs the reader to key sources
bur is never intended to be comprehensive, as befits the Duckworth
Debates in Archaeology series. This needs to be kept in mind when
reviewing a volume such as this. Most of the book's content is
summarised in the Introduction, which also contains a potted synopsis of
Africa's rich and diverse archaeological record and the temporal
depth of human and hominid presence on the continent. The authors'
own interests and areas of expertise in maritime archaeology, an as yet
poorly developed facet of archaeological practice in Africa, also emerge
here. The following chapter sets out the definitions of various terms
and concepts used in the book, and explores some of these (e.g.
'ethnicity', 'cultural resources' and
'international development') in a little more detail. Chapters
3 and 4 consider the many challenges archaeologists and heritage
managers based on the continent typically face, and the range of threats
to the long-term survival of archaeological and architectural remains
from both human activity and natural processes with which they have to
contend. For anyone familiar with the situation across much of Africa
this will be unremarkable, and no doubt some of the omissions or minor
inaccuracies will also seem surprising. For a broader general audience,
or the student readership the authors had in mind, both chapters provide
a useful introduction to the literature, past successes and current
challenges. In many ways, the emphasis the authors place on the work by
African archaeologists and heritage managers and their achievements is
symptomatic of the general tenor of the entire text. Those who live and
work in the West are reminded, in a quiet and non-dogmatic way, just
what their colleagues in many parts of Africa (and by implication other
LDCs) have to cope with. Chapter 5 slips neatly into a review of the
main international agencies (and their sometimes perplexingly similar
acronyms) that have a mandate for the protection of tangible and
intangible heritage, their relationship with national and
non-governmental bodies with similar responsibilities, the relatively
few examples of the use of 'development aid' (mainly by
Scandinavian countries) to fund archaeological research--as in the Urban
Origins programme and its successors supported by SIDA (Swedish
International Development Cooperation Agency). The chapter also
summarises the varied international treaties and conventions that are
supposed to hold everything together. As with the previous chapters,
this is a good general introduction which many students will find
helpful. Nonetheless, I would have liked to have seen some coverage of
recent Africa-driven initiatives such as the recently completed
'Africa 2009' programme of activities supported by ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration
of Cultural Property). Chapter 6 picks up on discussions of the
potential impacts of future climate change, globalisation and urban
development raised in Chapter 3, to review other examples of
'development aid' supporting archaeological and other heritage
projects. This includes critical discussion of some of the World Bank
funded projects; various capacity building programmes such as the work
of AFRICOM (International Council of African Museums) and CHDA (Centre
for Heritage Development in Africa) in Mombasa--although the
latter's Francophone counterpart (EPA or Ecole du Patrimoine
Africain) in Proto-Novo, which is also supported by ICCROM, is not
mentioned--and some smaller scale non-governmental organisation and
university supported efforts.
Chapter 7 is more reflective, examining some of the more contested
issues with which an archaeology informed by the broader objectives and
structures of international development engagement with Africa is
beginning to contend. These are selective, but include concepts of
heritage and value, colonialism and post-colonial archaeologies, famine,
community archaeology and forensic archaeology. Case material on each of
these is introduced and discussed with reference to some of the ethical,
practical and theoretical questions they raise. These points are
revisited in the concluding chapter which also sets out a provisional
'road map' for devising more sustainable archaeological
practice on the continent, which the authors hope others will develop,
modify and transform.
Rather surprisingly, given the importance often placed on producing
'useable pasts', the Africanist archaeological community has
at times been reluctant to engage directly with the main international
development issues of the day. This is, perhaps, because of a concern
that an interest in 'the past' and historical events and
processes will be dismissed as irrelevant to the contemporary interests
of the core agencies, their paymasters and governments of the day. While
slim, containing some inaccuracies, a few unfortunate omissions (where,
for example, is the discussion of indigenous archaeology as opposed to
'community' archaeology?), and an irritating use of the term
'structuralist' when clearly 'structural' is meant,
this book will, I hope, provide the inspiration to re-engage and to
demonstrate just how important Africa's past is for helping to plot
a more sustainable future.
PAUL LANE
Department of Archaeology, University of York, UK
(Email: paul.lane@york.ac.uk)
