Zimbabwean archaeologist Shadreck Chirikure, who is Edward Hall Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Oxford, is among four outstanding research leaders awarded a major European Research Council grant which he will use to map more precisely the expansion of Bantu-language speakers in Southern Africa.
The researchers were advanced grants of up to €2,5 million (US$2,66 million) each to undertake innovative research in their fields of specialty.
According to an Oxford publication, the grant recognises leading researchers who have a proven track record of significant achievements.
"Migration is a powerful driver of historical change and one of the most sensitive socio-political challenges of our time. The new Bantu project will generate new knowledge that could inform solutions to effectively tackle contemporary challenges with migration in Africa and globally," said Prof Chirikure.
"We will conduct fieldwork in eight countries - Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe - to expand existing data sets, then apply high-resolution scientific analysis to well-dated collections, including metals, pottery, seeds, and bones, to arrive at a critical understanding of the spread of Bantu speakers and their lifeways across Southern Africa.
"The outcomes of the project will throw new light on Southern Africa's development, and can serve as a model for other large-scale movements of people across the globe, such as the Yamnaya culture in Eastern Europe."
Broadly, the research will look at lifeways and how ancestors lived, farmed, hunted and mined. It also aims to explore their livelihoods and beliefs and how technologies sustained communities.
The study by Prof Chirikure seeks to derive lessons to help people achieve better livelihoods based on knowledge from the past. It includes a programme of public education and exhibitions to ensure that the knowledge is disseminated.
Competition for the grants was stiff and this latest call for proposals attracted over 1 800 applications, of which around 14 percent were selected for funding. The report also said the successful projects would carry out cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields, from life sciences and physical sciences to social sciences and humanities.
"This is a highly prestigious grant that will advance research and innovation in Africa," said Prof Munyaradzi Manyanga - Bantu Mosaics Research Associate and Executive Dean of the School of Heritage and Education, Great Zimbabwe University.
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"Deep time studies of the Bantu people invoke our past, our heritage, and our identity. Such studies also help Africa to rewrite itself back into history following years of misrepresentation during the colonial era.
"Prof Chirikure's research grant on Bantu Mosaics will build capacity in archaeology and heritage in Zimbabwe and beyond and nurture a new crop of archaeologists who appreciate the role of archaeology and heritage as important drivers and enablers in socio-economic transformation," reads the report in part.
Iliana Ivanova, the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, and Youth, said: "To all the new ERC grantees, my heartfelt congratulations! These grants will not only support leading researchers in pushing the boundaries of knowledge but also create some 2 500 jobs for post-doctoral fellows, PhD students and other research staff across Europe. This investment nurtures the next generation of brilliant minds. I look forward to seeing the resulting breakthroughs and fresh advancements in the years ahead".
