Rebranding Zimbabwe’s global image through heritage: Lessons from India use of heritage as soft power

Abstract

Heritage possesses a tremendous propensity to transform and shape international affairs. With the advent of globalization, heritage has emerged as a forceful effectual agent of soft power capable of revolutionizing international relations. However, for a country like Zimbabwe, which is endowed with exotic and resplendent heritage (evidenced but not limited to the presence of 5 UNESCO world heritage sites) this has not been the case. There are places of heritage importance in Zimbabwe that merits to be included in the UNESCO’s list. Largely attributed to western sanctions, any inclinations or ambitions Zimbabwe has harbored of exercising significant international influence have been thwarted. Resultantly, the nation has sought alternative avenues of international engagement evidenced by its adoption of the Look East Policy. Resultantly, this has translated into substantial relationships with several Eastern countries including India, a nation immensely endowed with invaluable and insurmountable heritage. Therefore, by drawing on lessons from India’s use of heritage as soft power (37 UNESCO declared heritage sites ranked 7th in the World), from conservation of the heritage sites, integrating the same with tourism projects and soft power, the paper explores ways in which Zimbabwe can harness and utilize its heritage to rebrand its image within the global world thus eventually adopting heritage as soft power.