Expectations of Community: Meaningful Uses of Caves (beyond Archaeology) in Contemporary Zanzibar

For archaeologists, caves throughout Africa and Eurasia are synonymous with scientific narratives about bipedal human ancestors (e.g., Sterkfontein in South Africa and Zhoukoudian in China), early diversified subsistence strategies (e.g., Klaises River Mouth in South Africa and Niah in Malaysia), and ‘rock art’ (e.g., Apollo 11 in Namibia and Chauvet in France). Thus, most archaeologists attribute caves’ relevance to deep pasts. However, this tendency sidesteps historical and current uses of caves by contemporary residents