A Long Journey Defining Authenticity in World Heritage Management in Africa—Contested Realities

The effort to define authenticity within Africa’s World Heritage sites has unfolded as a long, often contested journey. The chapter explores the persistent conflict between international standards, which emphasise physical attributes of heritage, and African perspectives, which conceive of heritage as a dynamic, relational, and lived practice. This tension becomes clear through four key examples: the removal of the Creole Houses in Mauritius, the layered history of the Island of Mozambique, the community governance of Kenya’s Mijikenda Kaya Forests, and the ritual life of Nigeria’s Osun-Osogbo Grove. The preceding case studies prompt a fundamental inquiry: Is heritage primarily a physical object requiring protection, or a social process demanding sustenance? This chapter contends that achieving fairness necessitates the decolonisation of the concept of authenticity itself. Such a redefinition involves understanding authenticity as spiritually grounded, continuously performed, and guided by community custodians. Consequently, the chapter concludes by offering a practical roadmap for harmonising global policies with African lived realities.