Does Tanzania Value Its Archaeological Finds?

Tanzania has recently made world headlines with two archaeological finds - the remains of a rare dinosaur and a 700-year-old "lost city". Writing in The Citizen, Saume Jumanne asks if the country is taking enough advantage of the discoveries.

Tanzania: Cross Roads - Tanzania Must Take Advantage of Its New Discoveries

By Saumu Jumanne

Of late Tanzania has made headlines overseas for two archaeological discoveries-findings of remains of a 5-tonne dinosaur and about 700-year-old abandoned site of ancient Engaruka 'lost city' in Tanzania.

According to scientists, the latter has revealed formidable farming practices, which they hold can be useful even in modern agriculture.

Many news outlets across the world carried the story indicating that "Engaruka is the remains of the largest abandoned agricultural system and terraces in sub-Saharan Africa." The arid plains in the 'lost city' had large irrigated agricultural fields, described by researchers from the UK's University of York as "sophisticated irrigation systems and terraces."

For students of history particularly archaeology subsection, and geography, it's an important discovery. It's also one of the many discoveries that have come to prove that Africans were not as primitive as the colonial masters wanted everybody to believe.

The study, published in the journal Quartenary Research, indicates that the 'lost city' in Arusha had about 40,000 inhabitants who "were clearly highly skilled landscape engineers and agricultural managers."

Tanzania is an agricultural nation. Its placating to have a prove that, before the Germans, Europeans and Arabs came to our land, we had homegrown civilisation, and a developed agricultural systems in some locations.

Going back further in history, we are the 'cradle of civilisation' thanks to Olduvai Gorge in Ngorongoro Crater. What lessons can we learn from our forefathers, like in Engaruka? Can we build such formidable irrigation schemes today, and make hunger history?

In the other development that got international coverage was discovery of remains of a new species of a giant dinosaur in Songwe Region said to have roamed in Southern Africa about 70 million years ago.

It's good the new dinosaur, at least was given the name - Shingopana songwensis' which has Kiswahili connotations. This site, can be of great value as a tourist attraction.

In the recent years Tanzania has been making international headlines thanks to new scientific discoveries, like the two addressed in the first part of this column.

I remember last year, it was discovered that, Tanzania has the tallest tree in Africa! This was at remote area in Kilimanjaro Region. Botanically, or scientifically the tree known as Entandrophragma excelsum and measured the height of 81.5 metres.

The discovery, puts Tanzania in particular and Africa in general on the list of the world's record of tree heights. In their published paper titled "Africa's highest mountain harbours Africa's tallest trees" in the journal of Biodiversity and conservation (2017), the authors (Hemp, Zimmermann, Remmele, Pommer, Berauer, Hemp, and Fischer indicated that, the previous world tallest tree heights records were in American, Australian and Asian tree species, with no such records from any African country.

I agree with the study that the late discovery might be a result of "low study efforts undertaken at Kilimanjaro" despite its rich diverse biodiversity. Methinks perhaps it might be a result of little or no interest by the local communities who saw the tall tree as normal.

Which brings as to question, how many things in dear motherland, precious resources, that nature has bestowed on us, but we see them as of no value, but they are priceless?

How are we taking advantage of the discoveries that have been taking place occasionally, which gives our nation world recognition? For instance, at different times, new species both flora and fauna have been discovered and are only found in Tanzania, particularly in the Eastern Arc Mountains, but do we benefit?

In different parts of our dear motherland, there are thing which are unique, which holds potential for transforming the areas economically. But to what extent have we exploited for commercial gains on the new and old discoveries?

Saumu Jumanne is an assistant lecturer, Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE)