Preserving cultural heritage: A community-centric approach to safeguarding the Khulubvi Traditional Temple Malawi

Lazarus Obed Livingstone Banda; Chigonjetso Victoria Banda; Jane Thokozani Banda; Tapiwa Singini

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37610

Preserving cultural heritage: A community-centric approach to safeguarding the Khulubvi Traditional Temple Malawi

Heliyon. 2024 Sep 10;10(18):e37610. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37610. eCollection 2024 Sep 30.

Authors

Lazarus Obed Livingstone Banda¹, Chigonjetso Victoria Banda², Jane Thokozani Banda³, Tapiwa Singini⁴

Affiliations

¹ Beijing Institute of Technology, School of Social Science and Humanities, LiangXiang Campus, Beijing, China.
² University of Malawi, School of Political Science and Administrative Studies, Malawi.
³ Ministry of Education, Directorate of Higher Education, Lilongwe, Malawi.
⁴ East China Normal University, School of Social Development, Department of Anthropology, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

The study investigates cultural heritage conservation through community-based participatory research, focusing on preserving the Khulubvi Traditional Temple. It addresses challenges from religious, societal, and economic changes and the importance of integrating heritage into education. It emphasizes technology's role in maintaining sacred narratives. Qualitative methods, such as interviews and thematic analysis, reveal community efforts and modern challenges. The study concludes with a call to embed heritage in formal education and highlights the community's crucial role in cultural legacy, contributing to the discourse on heritage preservation.

Keywords: Community engagement strategies; Community-based participatory research; Cultural heritage preservation; Heritage management; Intergenerational knowledge transfer; Malawi cultural heritage.