LIVING ON THE FRINGES OF A PROTECTED AREA:

GONAREZHOU NATIONAL PARK (GNP) AND THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES OF SOUTHEAST ZIMBABWE, 1934-2008

Studies undertaken to date on the Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) have tended to glorify the perceived benefits that the nation derived from the establishment of the park without fully examining the plight of the displaced communities. Such studies have tended to concentrate on the park’s perceived huge contribution to sustainable national development through tourism. The park advocates have also argued that it has had the ripple effect of stimulating employment for the surrounding displaced communities. The proposed study seeks to examine the perception that parks promoted sustainable development and created employment for locals. A particular area that has been neglected and which this proposed study seeks to address is the response of those evicted from the park. The proposed study therefore seeks to examine how the creation of GNP, through the forced eviction of indigenous communities of the area drew battle lines of conflict between the GNP park institution and the indigenous communities of the area. It seeks to break new ground by documenting and analysing the indigenous people’s responses to their eviction from GNP during the period 1934 to 2008. It also seeks to further investigate how the people’s responses influenced state-community relations during the period under focus. Thus, running through the proposed study is the broad theme of contestation to eviction by the indigenous people evicted from GNP.

Presenter      :         Mr. Baxter Tavuyanago, Great Zimbabwe University
Date                :          25 July 2013
Time               :          1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Place              :         HSB 18-26