Dr Tawanda Mukwende

Tawanda Mukwende is a lecturer of archaeology at the Great Zimbabwe University in Zimbabwe. Dr Mukwende is currently an AfOx Visiting Fellow at the School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, as part of the Africa Oxford Visiting Fellowship Programme.

Tawanda obtained his PhD from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and he is also a recipient of the African Humanities Program Postdoctoral Fellowship. Before becoming a lecturer, Tawanda worked as an archaeologist at the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, where he conducted research at both Khami and Great Zimbabwe World Heritage Sites. He has also been part of a broader team working on understanding the evolution of socio-complexity in the region based on evidence from various sites in Zimbabwe.

Tawanda's research focuses on understanding the development and lifeways of pre-colonial farming communities in Southern Africa. He does this by examining their dietary patterns, exchange relations, production patterns, and consumption patterns, among other things. He places particular emphasis on understanding the lifeways of these communities by analyzing material evidence recovered from associated sites.

At Oxford, Tawanda will be working on a project that takes a landscape approach to understand the archaeology of Khami and how it relates to its wider landscape.

• Thondhlana, T. P., Mukwende, T., Machiridza, L. H., Musindo, T. T., Tevera, G. and Maduro, N. 2023. When theory meets praxis – enhancing heritage management through practice-led research at Great Zimbabwe World Heritage property. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, DOI 10.1108/JCHMSD-08-2022-0149
• Thondhlana, T. P. and Mukwende, T. 2022. Colonial wounds and the demands for social justice: The case of the Murray MacDougall Museum. In, Thondhlana, T. P., Mataga, J. and Munjeri, D. 2 Independent Museums and Culture Centres in Colonial and Post-Colonial Zimbabwe: Non-State Players, Local Communities and Self-Representation. London: Routledge
• Mukwende, T. 2020. The Archaeology of Khami and the Butua State. In the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.ORE_AFH-00827.R1
• Mukwende, T., Bandama, F., Chirikure, S., Nyamushosho, R. T. 2018. The chronology, craft production and economy of the Butua capital of Khami, south-western Zimbabwe. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 53:4, 477-506
• Nyamushosho, R. T., Chirikure, S., Bandama, F., Manyanga, M. and Mukwende, T. 2018. Are drylands marginal? The case of Mananzve, Shashi Region, southwestern Zimbabwe. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 53: 4, 439-476