Archaeo-Serengeti Shall not Die! Threats and Prospects for the Protection of Archaeological Heritage

Abstract

Author Accepted Manuscript of the paper published in "Nyame Akuma" (2025) The Serengeti National Park’s iconic savannahs attract almost 500,000 tourists annually. However, the general understanding of the park, does not include its archaeological heritage. For several decades, the Serengeti has been largely overlooked by archaeologists. This has led to a limited understanding among the National Park management board regarding the threats to the archaeological heritage. A reconnaissance in August 2024 revealed a number of factors that threaten the archaeological heritage within the park. Rock art is increasingly accessible to tourists without any regulation, resulting in degradation, while the installation of concrete information pedestals in rockshlter deposits at certain sites is disrupting the archaeological stratigraphy. The construction of new hotel facilities occurs without archaeological supervision, resulting in the irreversible loss of information about ancient settlements at key locations within the landscape. The recent developments have resulted in the creation of deceptive archaeological sites, attributed to the exportation of construction materials such as sand and gravel from outside the park, which are accompanied by artifacts.