Heritage and the Politics of Remembrance: The Case of Shimoni Slave Caves in Kenya

Abstract

This paper is a discussion of how cultural landscapes, whose meanings are contested, are represented, reproduced and maintained through the memories of the different groups that claim ownership or ancestry to that landscape. The objective of the paper is to present a critical analysis on how people use memory (both remembering and forgetting1) and a cultural landscape to negotiate their identities and at the same time maintain the authenticity of the heritage place and landscape. This is done by looking at the practice of community heritage management at Shimoni village of the Kenya coastal province.