The Silence of Great Zimbabwe

"Fontein does an excellent job of describing the ways in which different groups of actors, from the clan chiefs and leaders who contest preeminence at Great Zimbabwe in historical terms, to the archaeologists and curators of National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe who situate the site in contexts of science, nationalism and the economics of tourism, collide and cooperate... [He] has written an important book about the roles that Great Zimbabwe plays in Zimbabwe, the controversies that still swirl around it, and the way in which communities in the area see this place-not merely as an archaeological site, but as a place of continuing religious and historical significance. The value of this approach is not restricted to Zimbabwe, and The Silence of Great Zimbabwe should be read by any archaeologist or heritage manager working on the continent today." -American Antiquity "This book provides the essential, pioneering platform upon which all future studies will surely build. This book is a good beginning. Hopefully, it will encourage a re-thinking of the current management approach to the site. Zimbabweanist archaeologists and historians can take note and present inclusive and representative local histories that are relevant to those who matter the most-the people of Zimbabwe." - Paul Hubbard, South African Archaeological Bulletin