Dr. Lesley Hatipone Machiridza has over 14 years of University teaching and research experience, and 2 years of museum curatorial experience.

As a senior lecturer at the Great Zimbabwe University, he held responsibility as part of the UNESCO Chair on African heritage (2021-2024) and the Heritage Place Lab running under the ICCROM-IUCN WORLD HERITAGE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM-LEARNING NETWORKS. He holds a PhD, MA, BA Special Honours in Archaeology and a BA General degree.

• Alexander von Humboldt Post-Doctoral Fellow

‘Ecology of Knowledge’, Identities, Places and Material Culture: Historical Archaeology of Khami-phase Sites in South-western Zimbabwe

• Historical archaeology
• Decolonial discourses
• Cultural complexity
• Materiality
• Ethnicity
• Landscapes
• Heritage and memory
• Museology
• Climate change

Using the Rozvi state (1685-1830) of south-western Zimbabwe as case study, Machiridza continues to challenge current knowledge horizons on Indigenous epistemologies, ontologies and axiologies.

• Indigenous Environmental Resilience: Decoding Ancient Rozvi Wisdom on Mountain Ecosystems as Disaster Management Solutions, Faculty of Philosophy, Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities (MESH), University of Cologne, Germany, 23 July 2024.
• Living Heritage, Indigenous Wisdom and Endangered Ecosystems: Rozvi Nature Metaphors Dichotomized, 30th European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) Annual Meeting in Rome, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, 28 – 31 August 2024.
• Nature-Culture Dichotomies, Indigenous Ontologies and Euro-American Universalism: Reimagining ‘Rozvi’ Archaeological Landscapes in Zimbabwe, World Archaeological Congress (WAC), June 2025.

• Identities, Indigenous Narratives and Mnemotechnic Devices: New Trajectories on Rozvi Landscapes in south-western Zimbabwe, 26 June 2024, Seminar Series, Institute of African Studies and Egyptology, University of Cologne Albertus-Magnus-Platz, Germany.
• “After all, whose Agenda are Museums Nourishing?” Decolonial Discourses, Indigenous Epistemologies and Ontologies, CAM 2024 Triennial Conference, The View from Here: Sustainability, Community and Knowledge Systems, 3 - 8 March 2024, at Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki, New Zealand.
• Ingenuities of Nationhood in post-colonial Zimbabwe: Liberation heritage and Contestations at Bulawayo Provincial Heroes Acre, Workshop on Contested Monuments, University of Bonn, 15 May 2024, Tagungsraum des Internationalen Zentrums fur Philosophie NRW (IZPH), Poppelsdorfer Allee 28, Germany.
• Epitomes of COVID-19 Impacts, Emerging Indigenous Methodologies and “Rozvi-Cyber Communities” in Zimbabwe, The Impact of COVID-19 on Archaeology around The Globe, 19th IUAES-WAU World Anthropology Congress 2023 (14th – 20th October 2023), New Delhi, India.
• Landscapes, Indigenous Epistemologies and Identities: New Trajectories on Khami-phase sites in south-western Zimbabwe”, University of Zimbabwe/VolkswagenStiftung north-western Zimbabwe Archaeology Project Symposium, 19 January 2023.
• Critical Reflections on Heritage Repackaging for Industrialization: “Blessing or Curse?” University of Cambridge Heritage Colonialism Discussion Group (HCDG) 11 October 2022.
• Reclaiming Indigenous Epistemologies, Axiologies and Ontologies: New perspectives on Names, Identities and Material Culture from Khami-phase sites in south-western Zimbabwe”, Great Zimbabwe University in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, Spirits of Peace Project, Decolonization Workshop 25 August 2022.
• Religion, Rightsholders and “New Actors”: Power dynamics and Management challenges at the Great Zimbabwe World Heritage Site”, Institute for African Studies and Egyptology, University of Cologne, Germany, Kolloquium Sose, 04 May 2022.
• In search of ourselves: Reflections on a “national dress” and the Zimbabwean identity”, Academic symposium of the Dzimbahwe Arts and Culture Festival (DACF), Great Zimbabwe University, Masvingo, 26 September 2019.

Peer-reviewed Journal articles:

• Machiridza L. H. 2023. Indigenous Environmental Resilience: Decoding Ancient Rozvi Wisdom on Mountain Ecosystems as Disaster Management Solutions. IgMin Research, 1(2): 143-153.
• Machiridza, L. H. and Muringani, J. 2023. Understanding and Developing a Problem Statement: A Guideline for Novice Researchers. Annals of Reviews and Research, 10 (2): 1-5.
• Machiridza, L. H. and Kapumha, R. 2023. Beyond Colonial Boundaries: Reimagining the Rozvi through Landscapes, Identities and Indigenous Epistemologies. Land, 12 (1625): 1-21.
• Thondhlana, T. P., Mukwende, T., Machiridza, L. H., Musindo, T., Tevera, G. and Maduro, N. 2023. When theory meets praxis-Enhancing heritage management through practice-led research at Great Zimbabwe World Heritage Site. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development. https://www.emerald.com/insight/2044-1266.htm
• Machiridza, L. H. 2022. The political and cultural life of the dead in Zimbabwe: Joost Fontein, the Politics of the Dead in Zimbabwe 2000-2020: Bones Rumours and Spirits (Woodbridge, James Currey 2022). Journal of Southern African Studies, 48 (5):1-3.
• Machiridza, L. H. and Thondhlana, T. P. 2022. Lost and found property: Evaluating efforts to resurrect and resuscitate ‘institutionalised garbage’ in post-colonial Zimbabwean museums. Curator: The Museum Journal, 0.0: 1-19.
• Machiridza, L. H. 2022. Palaces of stone: uncovering ancient southern African kingdoms. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, DOI:10.1080/0067270X.2021.1983302
• Machiridza, L. H. 2020. Landscapes and Ethnicity: An Historical Archaeology of Khami-phase sites in Southwestern Zimbabwe. Journal of Historical Archaeology, Springer 54: 647-675.
• Thondhlana, T. P. and Machiridza, L. H. 2020. Restoration and Restitution of Cultural Heritage, the Case of the Ndebele Monarch: The Post-Colonial Dilemma in Zimbabwe. Journal of African Cultural Heritage Studies, 2 (1): 52-84.
• Koleini, F., Machiridza, L. H., Pikirayi, I. and Colomban, P. 2019. The Chronology of Insiza cluster Khami-phase sites in south-western Zimbabwe: Compositional Insights from PXRF and Raman Analysis of excavated exotic glass finds. Archeomentry, 61 (4): 874-890.
• Machiridza, L. H. 2008. Developing the Rozvi archaeological identity in south-western Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean Prehistory, 28: 21-31.

Published Peer-reviewed conference proceedings:

• Machiridza, L.H. 2020. Minus us, it’s your white elephant: Old Bulawayo and the challenges of community participation. Fostering heritage communities 8-11 May Web-conference Proceedings, 2nd edition Witzenhausen: Interpret Europe ISBN 978-3-947745-08-1: 72-84.

Published Book chapters

• Machiridza, L. H. and Musindo, T. 2024. Challenges, Distortions and Prospects: A Review of Historical Archaeology in southern Africa. In Encyclopedia of Archaeology 2nd Edition, Vol. 3: 234-241. Nikita, E. and Rehren, T. (Eds.), London: Academic Press.
• Machiridza, L. H. 2022. Colliding differences and contested powers: A re-look at Old Bulawayo theme-park fire disaster. In Archaeological Thoughts and Practices in Southern Africa: Multi-disciplinary Perspectives (Proceedings of the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA) Conference Harare, 1-5 July 2015), Katsamudanga, S. and J. Chikumbirike (Eds.), 140-157. Harare: The University of Zimbabwe Press.
• Machiridza, L. H. 2022. Pre-colonial naming patterns, Identities and Material culture: A Historical archaeology perspective on Changamire, Torwa, Rozvi and Nyai meanings. In Archaeological Thoughts and Practices in Southern Africa: Multi-disciplinary Perspectives (Proceedings of the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA) Conference Harare, 1-5 July 2015), Katsamudanga, S. and J. Chikumbirike (Eds.), 88-100. Harare: The University of Zimbabwe Press.
• Machiridza, L. H. and Mazvihwa, N. 2022. Liberation Heritage and Patriotic History: Preserving the legacy of the ‘Soul of the Nation’ at KwaVaMuzenda House Museum. In Independent Museums and Culture Centres in Colonial and Post-Colonial Zimbabwe: Non-State Players, Thondhlana, T. P., J. Mataga and D. Munjeri (Eds.), 101-112. London: Routledge.
• Machiridza, L. H. 2014. Identities, Memoirs and Narratives: The dialectics of Rozvi ethnicity and Power. In African Cultures, Memory, Space: Living the Past Presence in Zimbabwean Heritage, Mawere, M. and R. T. Mubaya (Eds.), 161-212. Bamenda: Langaa RPCIG.
• Machiridza, L. H. 2013. Insights into the meaning of vaNyai, Rozvi and Torwa: a historical archaeology approach to identities. In Zimbabwean Archaeology: in the post-independence era, Manyanga, M. and S. Katsamudanga (Eds.), 199-212. Harare: SAPES Books.

Accepted book chapters in press

• Mukwende, T., Thondhlana, T. P., Musindo, T., Tevera, G., Machiridza, L. H. and Maduro, N. Chapter 7: Integrating universal and local values: Towards a people- centered research agenda at Great Zimbabwe. In Ishizawa, M. (Ed.), Heritage Place Lab Pilot Phase 2021-2022; A model for research-practice collaboration in the context of World Heritage. Rome: ICCROM.

Videos

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ8azWeSmg0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhs8UoEjil8

• 2022-2025 ‘Ecology of Knowledge’, Identities, Places and Material Culture: Historical Archaeology of Khami-phase Sites in South-western Zimbabwe
  Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung/Foundation - Germany
  24 months Post-doctoral Research Fellowship Grant EUR 60, 000
• 2022 Rozvi Ethno-biographies, Identities and Cryptograms: Towards a Historical Archaeology of southwestern Zimbabwe
  Firebird Foundation for Anthropological Research - United States of America (USA)
  Research Grant $9,043.00 USD
• 2022 World Archaeological Congress WAC-9: Partial Travel Grant
• 2020 Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM): Full Travel Grant
• 2020 GZU: Full Travel Grant to Cape Town $600 USD
• 2020 GZU: Partial Travel Grant to Czech Republic $2, 749 USD]
• 2014-2018 Archaeology of the Rozvi: Toward an historical archaeology of south-western Zimbabwe
  University of Pretoria (UP) - South Africa
  University of Pretoria, PhD Postgraduate Research Scholarship R60 000/Annum 
• 2014 Archaeology of the Rozvi: Toward an historical archaeology of south-central Zimbabwe
  University of Pretoria (UP) - South Africa
  SANPARKS-UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA Research Grant R50 000
• 2013-2017 Archaeology of the Rozvi: Toward an historical archaeology of south-central Zimbabwe
  Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) - Zimbabwe
  Post-Graduate Research Grant $10 428.60 USD
• 2011 Archaeology and ethnicity: Contextualising the Rozvi in south-western Zimbabwe
  Midlands State University (MSU) - Zimbabwe
  Post-Graduate Research Grant $4 259.20 USD
• 2009-2012 Material Culture and dialectics of Identity and Power: Towards a Historical Archaeology of the Rozvi in South-Western Zimbabwe
  University of Pretoria (UP) - South Africa
  University of Pretoria, MA Postgraduate Research Scholarship R60 000/Annum