Cezar Mahumane
Maritime Archaeologist
Nationality:
Mozambican
Qualifications
MA in Archaeology (University of Cape Town)
Honours in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Management (University Eduardo Mondlane)
Affiliations
Lecturer University Eduardo Mondlane
Director Center of Archaeology, Research and Resources of Mozambique Island (CAIRIM)
ASAPA
1. Describe your role as an Maritime Archaeologist
As a maritime archaeologist my role is to research, preserve, interpret and manage maritime cultural heritage, and make it accessible for education and public engagement. Generally, it is considered maritime cultural heritage any submerged archaeological site, however, the most common are shipwrecks. Part of my role is to locate these shipwrecks either by remote sensing, archival research or interviews with community members. An essential part of being maritime archaeologist is recording sites to produce a detailed inventory with descriptions, historical value and engage with communities.
Another important role that I develop is monitor maritime cultural heritage, which is crucial, especially nowadays, due to the rapid climate changes we are facing and the over exploitation of marine resources which pose threats to this heritage. Human activities on the sea, can damage this heritage either by industrial fishing, gas and oil exploitation or treasure hunting activities. The rapid acidification of the seawater also poses threats to the maritime cultural heritage. Therefore, maritime archaeologist has the responsibility of monitoring all the changes, assess the threats to the maritime cultural heritage continuously and ensure its preservation for the present and future generation.
My role as maritime archaeologist is also to research and interpret submerged artefacts. Archaeological material that has been sitting under the water for centuries, also has relevant and important meanings for past and present communities. For example, today I am involved in two projects that are excavating underwater sites in Mozambique Island Bay. One of the sites is an early 17th century shipwreck related to the development of local socio-economy and cultural dynamics of Mozambique Island, that contributed to forge the actual social and cultural identity of the island. The other site is related to the trade of enslaved people, that have been captured in many different places on the mainland. This site and the artifacts that are being are supporting deeper meaning of enslavement to the communities in Mozambique and globally.
Another important role is designing and implementing management plans for a specific site or a group of sites. As a specific cultural resource, maritime heritage sites need to be managed with caution to ensure their long-term preservation. Here, it is important to coordinate with as much institutions as possible to guarantee support and collaboration towards the protection of the sites that can be affected by human or natural threats.
2) What skills are important for this role?
As maritime archaeologists working in a specific environment (under the water), one is required to have a variety of skills that allow to perform the work effectively, depending on the activity being undertaken in the field or in the office.
When working from the office, it is important to have the following skills:
a. Discipline and time management
b. Being able to read and interpret nautical charters
c. Being able to read old documents
d. Being able to write project and raise funds
e. Being able to use different software for data processing and analysis
When working from the field, it is important to have the following skills:
a. Discipline and time management
b. Being able to identify archaeological features underwater
c. Being fit to swim and able to spend many hours at the sea
d. Being able to drive a car and ride a boat
e. Understanding the basic mechanism to run air compressor
f. Being able to set a dive gear and understand its mechanism
g. Being able to operate a dredge, when excavating underwater sites
h. Being able to manage a team effectively
3. What qualifications or experience are required for this role?
In terms of academic degrees, one should have an Honours or a Master’s degree in Archaeology, Heritage management, History, Anthropology and related field.
One must have a Diving certification, which can be acquired in any recreational certified dive center. There are different worldwide organizations certify people for dive as Professional Association of Diving Instructor (PADI), National Association of Underwater Instructor (NAUI), or Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) and others.
Due to the increasing number of activities under the sea, it has been established the Scientific Dive Certification, which is also recommended to all professionals that intends to develop their work under the sea.
4. What challenges or rewards can one expect in a career dealing with underwater culture heritage?
All these years working in maritime archaeology in Mozambique, has been very rewarding. I have been able to network with other professional from the field worldwide, I have had the opportunity to work in many projects in the US, Europe and in Africa. While working in Mozambique, I also teach student about the field, and it is rewarding seeing their interest on an archaeology done under the water. Other rewarding moment is talking with community member and hearing their personal stories in a deep relation with the sea. This brings to me to the sense, that the sea holds a crucial role in people’s life, not only because of the obvious resources, like food, but the deep cultural and spiritual relation established through generations.
In terms of challenges, the are many challenges that maritime archaeologists faces, first because this is a relatively new field in the country (I would dare to say in the African continent) so everything is scares, like: resources (human and financial), there are challenges to manage and preserve this heritage due to few or no compliance with the heritage laws. Infrastructure to research and conserve artifacts are inexistent, and if they exist, they are not fully operational.
Lastly, I would say that Southern Africa universities, needs to develop a specific degree in Maritime archaeology to address the richness and value of this heritage that is laying on the water bodies of our region and the continent. The maritime culture heritage would support or bring new understandings of what is laying on land, complementing our knowledge.
