ABSTRACT
The contest over the lease to the KPCA for part of the Kaiija shrine and the burial estate of Rugomora Mahe signals a deep malaise in values attached to heritage sites today in Buhaya. But it also indexes a much more profound disorder—a readiness to profit from heritage that does not belong to private owners. The history of widespread land litigation in Buhaya set the scene for confrontation between parties, one privileging community interests, the other favoring private interests. In such circumstances, Hodder’s (2010) prescription for competing claims over heritage is to follow avenues of negotiation that lead to well-being. This remedy for well-being happens to mirror the ideals articulated by the community organizers in Katuruka—to revitalize heritage places and meanings that would lead to better employment, better productivity, better education, and better overall health. Yet, the history of Katuruka vividly illustrates how Hodder’s ideal fails to mesh with local behavior and traditions, a circumstance that is replicated in most of Africa and many other parts of the globe.
