**9. Alternative heritage discourse (ALHD) template for Sub-Saharan Africa**

Current and future heritage discourse perspectives must be holistic, integrative and an all-encompassing framework to guarantee the sustainability of all peoples and nations' socio-cultural value significance of their bequeathed patrimonial allotments of indigenous architectural heritage. Most early studies of the indigenous architectural heritage of Africa seems to consider them as not worthy of serious research and or critical discourse and examination [50]. Prussin argued that the model of permanence base on Eurocentric architectural ideals should be a challenge. He rather argued that indigenous architectural placemarks are considered sacred through ancestral abode. Therefore, the indigenous settlements sacredness is critical in African socio-cultural value perceptual preferences and their significance of place and its architecture. The indigenous architectural heritage perspectives here cover the heritage, their conservation, alternative tourism prospects within the socio-cultural prism as the context for ALHD.

The prevailing loss of indigenous architectural heritage culture, knowledge and environment in Sub-Saharan Africa due to western imposed values is indeed a cause for concern [51]. Scott further argued that westernisation has striped most of SSA of their cultural pride particularly for architecture that had earlier been quite sustainable. The study by Scott, therefore, encouraged an African architecture that is considered aesthetically appealing, environmentally responsive, culturally mesmerising and adapts to the socio-economic realities of the people. Such a projected future for African architecture can however not be achievable if the existing heritage features are abandoned or left to decay. As such, the African heritage features will not be available for further research towards being adaptable for contemporary requirements. Ndoro, Mumma and Abungu [52] likewise, argued that heritage definition in SSA goes beyond the visible immovable features, as it incorporates different facets of culture, mode of communication, spiritual belief system, sacred groves, rivers and forest including their monuments. Indigenous heritage studies were said to have been reinforced after the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit and the commitment of governments to preserving their heritage.

Currently, heritage studies are established on the UN 2030 agenda on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-11) that is anchored on "strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world's cultural and natural heritage" ([53], p. 12). Similarly, this heritage goal is set to pursue in addition the challenges of poverty, social justice, climate change that guarantee the preservation of the ecosystem. Therefore, this study is premised on World Heritage Sustainable Development Policy (WH-SDP) as well as the African Union's 'Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want'*,* where local community participation and heritage resources are to be utilised for enhanced peace and prosperity in Africa ([54], p. 22). Mainstreaming of WH-SDP that is based on regional and national policies is considered pivotal to this study. Policy statements are to be such that the key stakeholders as bearers, experts and partners are considered as a critical part of the heritage management process the local community. World heritage discourse based on SDG's was anchored on three dimensions of environment, economics and society under peaceful and secure context [53]. Moukala and Odiaua further argued that despite African heritage place in its development, the complex perceptual and relational features are not adequately tackled; particularly if viewed in the setting of centralised national resource management against diverse local community's interest.

Myriad of challenges were further highlighted by the Index of Economic Freedom [55], which contended that Sub-Saharan Africa is ranked amongst the lowest in economic freedom leading to the erratic transformation of most sectors. Therefore, for Sub-Saharan Africa where current heritage listing criteria does not seem to have been adaptable enough; the intangible is being argued as the basis for the tangible [56]. In fact, for most African societies where the traditional practices are still prevalent, dead ancestors are an integral part of the living generation of believers in terms of their folklores and ritual practices indeed even their built settlement habitation [57]. Similar arguments are being advanced by several African scholars towards reasserting the Afrocentric viewpoint and voice in global heritage discourse [58, 59]. Africa heritage components, its list as approved by UNESCO and perspective of discussion is contentiously down the piking order despite being the cradle of human civilization. This reality despite abounding socio-cultural resources requires critical research for appropriate placement of the discourse and subsequent acknowledgement for more heritage listing in Sub-Saharan Africa and indeed Nigeria.

Conservation is significant and urgently required for Africa, particularly Sub-Saharan African. Catering for African heritage towards reasserting its relevance in global discourse is best presented in Pan African cultural manifesto where it was argued that;

*"The conservation of culture has saved the various African peoples from the attempts at erasing the history and soul of Africa's peoples… and if it (culture) binds humans together, it also impels progress. This is the reason why Africa has gone to such great lengths and taken such care in recovering its cultural heritage, in defending its personality and tending to the flourishing of new branches of its culture" [60].*

The soul of the African people has remained and continues to be reflected by their heritage features, either as an artefact or built structures. It is these heritage features and their impact that bound the African people together and will determine their destiny amongst contemporary societies. The current reawakening of the socio-cultural values of the African societies has provoked a rethink on the imposed culture and architectural edifices across the continent. For securing the future of African people and thus their heritage, there is the need for contemporary heritage discourse to be further broadened beyond the categorisation of tangible and intangible heritages. Rather, the heritage discourse should be an integrated whole that evolved into features with physical and spiritual impact on our environment.

Alternative tourism is a form of sustainable tourism and specifically concern with the responsive utilisation of heritage resources, and in this case, are the resources of indigenous communities within the Sub-Saharan Region of Africa. Van Zyl [61] argued on the significant place of tourism in the conservation of cultural heritage in South Africa. He further argued that global tourists are craving for responsive tourism that support conservation of cultural and natural resource. The preservation of these resources could serve as an impetus for cultural identity and sustenance. Nnabuogor [62] stated that alternative tourism is mainly an individualised plan to gain experiences within a host community or setting about their culture and environment. Alternative tourism emphasises social, natural and indigenous communities value systems. Here the alternative form of tourism provides opportunities for both the host and the tourist in a sustainable manner.

Moukala and Odiaua observed that Africa being the cradle of human civilization and blessed with abundant natural and cultural heritage is not proportionately represented on the World Heritage List. Therefore, at the 2016 Tanzanian conference, where the Ngorongoro Declaration on African sustainable development of heritage features was made has now become the platform of most sustainable heritage tourism development [53]. These heritage features with the distinct architectural identity indeed form the essence of socio-cultural tourist arrivals. Thereby serving

#### *(In)tangible Heritages: A Critical Review for an Alternative Heritage Discourse (ALHD)… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99601*

as a medium for identifying with the African culture, the built heritage and the socio-cultural landscape of the indigenous communities.

Nigeria is one of the four African countries that joined the WHC at its inception in 1974 along with Sudan Niger and DR Congo, however, their proportionate heritage features amongst other continents that have been listed are insignificant [63].

Ifechukwu [64] also posited that African heritage perspectives and their sociocultural value concepts are premised on extended family, relationships emphasis, communal affluence, mutual concern, respect for elders, compromise, contest and hero adoration. Similarly, is the argument for the human hierarchy of needs being cyclically interconnected rather than hierarchical as postulated by Maslow [65]. It is worthy to contend here that with such a belief system Africans have been managing their resources (tangible and intangible). This has been from time immemorial basically through oral tradition, which is a form of intangible heritage. Therefore, architectural heritage value is considered as both an enduring belief system and an end-state of human existence [41, 66, 67].

Base on the critical variables review in line with the ALHD perspective, the chapter, therefore, proposed an ALHD that is in line with **Figure 3** as the framework within which viable discourse on alternative heritage could be sustained. Alternative Heritage Discourse (ALHD) template perspectives are to be strictly base on critical stakeholders' opinions and preferences, particularly the indigenous




**Figure 3.**

*Alternative heritage discourse template for Sub-Saharan Africa. Source: Authors desk research (2019).*

communities who serve as the heritage bearers within a cultural landscape, anchored by the experts and supported by the development partners. The apex place of experts in decision making on alternative heritage perspective must be review and the bearers serve as the base of the process pyramid, with partners at the centre and experts at the zenith in processing resource base of the community. However, in exploiting and developing conservation options for any specific site, the process is revised, such that it could start with the expert through the partners and end with the bearers. In other words, in the ALHD perspective, the heritage discourse starts and end with the bearers. This template could encourage sustainability of the resource base and its active sustenance by the bearers for the benefit of all partners under the guidance of the expert.

Due to the recent critique of the OUV concept of authenticity ICOMOS-ISCARSAH (2021) in a webinar on authenticity and reconstruction stated that the question of authenticity is a recurring concern in the discourse of heritage and its construction and require continuous critical dialogue for a productive position. Historically, the Venice charter of 1964 projected a Eurocentric view on the material component of heritage. By the Nara document on the authenticity of 1994, it affirms the strategic place of culture in heritage authenticity discourse. Burra charter of 1999 brought about the critical qualities of heritage as intangibles. It clearly shows the evolving discourse and concern demonstrated concerning diverse concern by heritage professionals. As the authenticity question become open to different international views, perspectives are more dynamic and far from the supposedly and imposed roles to determine authenticity for ascertaining OUV of heritage. Material originality definition of wood, masonry and earth for heritage authenticity becomes a challenge given the immaterial location, culture, spirit and form of heritage. It seems that considering authenticity as a "one size fit all" has hit a dead-end in heritage discourse. Therefore, it would be sustainable to provide authenticity understanding in different cultures that could reinforce or question viewpoint on any heritage conservation perspectives. Hence the proposed template for Alternative Heritage Discourse within indigenous cultural landscape communities of Sub-Saharan Africa.

## **10. Conclusion, recommendations and future ALHD research perspectives**

In conclusion, the chapter review contribution has been able to expound the spring board of AHD and the foundational deviations from its set out objectives of asserting the logic of each heritage. The transition of heritage discourse from objective to subjective gradually however merged into one as AHD that birth the first charter of 1964. However, the AHD perspective is at a threshold that will require collective and holistic proponents of the ALHD viewpoint to adduce relevant discourse options for transgenerational sustainability of the heritages. The study further surmised that there is no heritage without the intangible process which could create a tangible product in some instances while in others it is sustained at its immaterial form driven by the people traditions and customs. Socio-cultural value significance therefore should remain the main driving force of true heritage discourse amongst professionals based on indigenous societies and settlements in Sub-Saharan Africa within the ALHD perspective. The advocated perspective should henceforth drive the revised charters, recommendations, principles and protocols of heritage globally concerning their identification, documentation for conservation and listing. Such positions could ensure sustainable heritage management now

*(In)tangible Heritages: A Critical Review for an Alternative Heritage Discourse (ALHD)… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99601*

and in the future amongst indigenous communities of Sub-Saharan Africa. The study, therefore, recommends as follows;


In future research, the proposed ALHD template could encourage the development of an integrated framework charter that encompasses the thematic, chronological-regional and typological framework perspective of heritage debates as a holistic strategy that is beneficial to all stakeholders. It could be a charter that could guarantees the sustenance of indigenous architectural heritage within Sub-Saharan cultural landscapes. It is expected that further reviews and empirical studies will be undertaken to substantiate the proposed template or create its variant for the continuation of the Alternative Heritage Discourse amongst indigenous communities of Sub-Saharan Africa that should ultimately create an acceptable charter for use in conservation and listing of its unique cultural landscapes as integrated unit(s).

*Heritage - New Paradigm*
