Heritage, identity and the politics of representation in tribal spaces: an examination of architectural approaches in Mochudi, Botswana and Moruleng, South Africa

This paper examines the politics of developing and conserving cultural heritage in key tribal community spaces of the Bakgatla-ba-Kgafela in Mochudi, Botswana and Moruleng, South Africa. In Mochudi, colonial architecture and traditional tribal spaces are valued as architectural heritage. In Moruleng, only colonial architecture is recognised in this way. Our research suggests that the significance of tribal architectural heritage is conveyed primarily through the use of space, rather than in its material properties. Communities maintain a sense of continuity, and ‘traditional’ tribal spaces derive continued meaning, through the repetition of social and cultural practices embodied within the everyday. This delicate intersection of intangible and tangible heritage has resulted in a loss of tangible ‘traditional’ heritage in both villages. Simultaneously, a trend to re-create precolonial archaeological heritage and vernacular forms as a way of articulating Bakgatla cultural identity has emerged in Moruleng. Analysing the heritage precincts in each village using documentary materials, stakeholder interviews and our reading of place, we illustrate how identity politics have shifted local architectural conservation approaches towards representations of identities/identity construction, which on the one hand serves the purpose of articulating identity difference and on the other attempts to address an ‘authentic representation’ of the Bakgatla identity.