World Heritage Sites often spark curiosity in people from all around the world. A group of students from New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), along with their course facilitator, Professor Martin Scherzinger, visited the University of Pretoria on the 26^th of May to see the National Treasures: Mapungubwe Gold Collection and Mapungubwe Ceramic Collection curated by UP Museums in preparation for their visit to the actual Mapungubwe National Park World Heritage Site in Limpopo, South Africa.

Mzingaye Hlabano, UP Campus Tourist Guide, had the privilege to take the group on a tour of the University of Pretoria Hatfield Campus with the focus being on the Mapungubwe Gold Collection. The students were to be assessed on their experiences and so came prepared with questions about the legacy, history and archaeological findings related to the Mapungubwe Kingdom. Upon seeing the gold for the first time, the group was in awe. They also viewed the ceramic collection which includes clay figurines of humans and animals (found mostly in K2) and ceramic bowls, jugs, beakers and spindle whorls that were normally used for cooking, drinking or storage. These have colourful and intricate details and designs etched onto the surface.

There was an engaging dialogue about the crisis of representation with consideration of “who gets to do it” and “how it is done”. Conversations around oral history came to play as well, with discussion of how people often treat written history as THE truth instead of as A truth, which is significant, given that new archaeological evidence may challenge existing interpretations. Hlabano emphasised this as the group headed to the Mapungubwe Archive at the University of Pretoria. Since its opening, UP Museums has made the archival records available to the public.

As the tour drew to a close, the NYUAD group now had a better idea of what to expect when they went to the Mapungubwe National Park World Heritage site. They thanked Hlabano for his “contribution [which] made an important imprint on the way these students regard culture, humanity, and the matter of musicality”.