Southern Africa’s Heritage Stories Find New Life Through Tourism

Held at Matobo Hills in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, from 27 to 31 July 2026, the training brought together participants from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Six heritage destinations across Southern Africa are preparing to give visitors a richer connection to the landscapes, traditions and memories that make each place special. A UNESCO-supported regional training programme has equipped heritage professionals and community guides with practical ways to turn local knowledge into guided experiences, cultural trails, exhibitions, digital features and storytelling activities that can also support conservation and local livelihoods.

Held at Matobo Hills in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, from 27 to 31 July 2026, the training brought together participants from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The European Union supported the programme through the Africa–Europe Partnerships for Culture: Promoting Culture and Heritage-based Sustainable Tourism in Southern Africa project, with UNESCO leading implementation alongside Interpret Europe and technical support from the African World Heritage Fund.

Helping Visitors Feel Why a Place Matters

Heritage interpretation often depends on signs, historical facts and guided commentary, yet visitors may leave without understanding why a site matters to the people connected to it. The training encouraged participants to identify the central meaning of each destination, understand different audiences and create experiences that connect physical places with memories, values and living traditions.

The participating destinations are Tsodilo Hills World Heritage Site in Botswana, Matsanjeni North in Eswatini, Morija Cultural Precinct in Lesotho, Twyfelfontein/Ui-//aes World Heritage Site in Namibia, ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site in South Africa and Matobo Hills World Heritage Site in Zimbabwe. Each location has its own landscape, history and community, meaning its interpretation must grow from local identity rather than follow a single regional script.

Participants were asked to consider one defining question: "What story should every visitor remember after leaving your heritage site?" That challenge shifted attention from the amount of information presented to the lasting emotional and intellectual connection created during a visit.

Communities Become the Storytellers

Local communities sit at the heart of the work because they carry the knowledge, experiences and cultural memories that give heritage its meaning. Their role extends far beyond receiving tourism benefits; they are custodians and storytellers who should help decide which narratives are shared, whose perspectives are represented and how visitors encounter the past and present.

Community-led interpretation can create practical opportunities for guides, artists, cultural practitioners, small businesses, women and young people. Visitors gain access to voices rooted in lived experience, while residents gain greater influence over how their culture is presented and how tourism develops around their homes.

Sipho Khoza, a local community guide from Matsanjeni North, explained that guides do more than show people around a destination. They share stories shaped by their communities, making local participation essential if visitors are to hear the voices of those genuinely connected to the heritage.

Turning Training into Sustainable Local Action

Site teams will now work with communities and other stakeholders to develop interpretation and storytelling frameworks tailored to each destination. These plans will identify key stories, intended audiences, underrepresented perspectives and suitable ways to transform local narratives into experiences that visitors can see, hear and join.

The real measure of success will be found at the sites themselves: guides who can hold a visitor's attention, communities with a stronger voice, new income opportunities built around culture and travellers who leave with a deeper respect for the people and places they encountered. Thoughtful storytelling can also strengthen public understanding of why heritage requires protection, helping tourism support conservation rather than place greater pressure on treasured locations.

UNESCO Project Coordinator Rodney Bunhiko stressed that the training is only the beginning. Its value will emerge as participants turn shared learning into locally grounded experiences developed with the people whose identities, memories and daily lives are tied to these sites. When visitors understand a heritage story and carry it with them after leaving, tourism becomes more than sightseeing—it becomes a meaningful exchange between people, place and memory.