THRIVE ISSUE 6 DECEMBER 2025 30 Tourism is more than movement from one place to another. Beyond the act of travel, tourism is about the stories we tell, the cultures we showcase, even future we imagine. However, the tourism sector still labours under an outdated paradigm leaving immense untapped potential in tourism destination diversification. AfrofuturismCalls For Africa To Own Its Narrative Yet, for decades, this tower has been referred to as the Zimbabwe ruins, with the use of the term ‘ruins’ meant to relegate any significance of this history sternly to the distant past. Comparatively, the Colosseum is presented as an incredible feat of engineering that is linked intimately with modern life - its history continuing, its glory not yet spent. It falls then to all who value the significance of African history to reclaim the rightful title of Great Zimbabwe not just in academics, but in civil life, and retrace our stories as part of other stories that reach far back in time, and indeed have shaped the very world we inhabit today. In her famous, 2009 TED talk titled The Danger of the Single Story, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warns of the consequences of the single story, stating: “it robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of equal humanity difficult. It emphasises how we are different rather than how we are similar”. The popular telling of history and heritage has fallen victim to this single story. Kamil Abudul-Karrim, MD Kaylon Karrim, Consultant Pam Golding Hospitality Owning the narrative Picture this: Two photographs of architectural wonders presented side by side. The first depicts the Colosseum - the well-known monument in Rome, Italy, which stands from about 6th century. The second image is another amazing feat of architecture - a 30m high tower of loose stones stacked without the use of any mortar that has, almost incomprehensibly, been standing since the 10th Century.
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