WHEN SEARCHING FOR ROAMING CATTLE AMIDST THE MIST: THE CROSSROAD OF DEVELOPING A THESIS PROJECT

WHEN SEARCHING FOR ROAMING CATTLE AMIDST THE MIST: THE CROSSROAD OF DEVELOPING A THESIS PROJECT
Mutero Prosper

I remember the old days back-home when I used to herd my uncle’s cattle, how he would to send us to gather the cattle in the mountain range during the rainy and misty winter days. Usually after harvesting our fields (thus the winter season) we would let the cattle to roam in the nearby Dindingwe mountain range for some days, and then later I and my cousins would then go to search for them. We would wonder in the mountain range searching for the cattle till we find them, despite the misty nor the cold. I am now finding the same experiences similar to that of developing a thesis project, for the completion of my masters’ study at the Central European University (CEU).

I remember how we would plan our search in the company of our uncle, and how we usually promised him of our quick return from the mountain. This appears to be the stage when one is applying for admission at the University and is also submitting a prospectus. To the writer, it appears final and comprehensive, many times a time-plan projection is drawn within the prospectors stipulating what the applicant perceives as the milestones. However after being admitted, one would then realize that either the scope of the research was either too big to be attainable in the given time period, or it’s just not practical, or just that the study has been done else-where. While wondering in the midst, we wouldn’t be sure of the direction or where exactly to find the cattle, but often we would ask ourselves on what to do next.

There are more than five hills in the Dindingwe mountain range where we would the cattle roam to graze. We usually guessed where among these hills we would find the cattle and sometimes times we would have to listen to the mooing, the bells or we would consult among ourselves on how to proceed on our search. At the CEU, one has to consider seriously the planning sessions with the supervisors. My meetings with my supervisors have been very helpful. Many are times when you find hardships in understanding some concepts or when you just feel like you are missing the direction, the supervisor redirects and explain things around. My research project is on the preservation of human remains in Zimbabwe and at first I didn’t really know what area to tackle for this is a broad research area. However after consultation and having looked at the available data and resources, I have decided to go for a more practical than theoretical thesis project. Since we do not have guiding instruments on the museology conduct and preservation of mortuary heritage, I realized the need to come up with a policy on the preservation and management of the human remains in Zimbabwe.

In the mountain range searching for the cattle, we would come across wild fruits which we would spare not. One of my older cousins Peter would always climb the trees and get the fruits for us. I find my class being an interesting one, with very amazing individuals.  Indeed we are not academic robots, there are times we arrange small get-together functions just to relax and shaking off the academic stress. We sometimes coordinate ourselves and get together and exploring Hungarian foodstuffs, drinks and places. This however does not remove our attention from our academic pursuits, but gives us the necessary break to freshen-up, refocus and engage on a better dimension. Indeed, there is no way we can do without the third model of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which is enveloped in love and belongingness. Our class is one of those amazing communities that has accepted the notions of intercultural and interreligious tolerance and as a result, we manage to give positive criticism and positive feedback on one another’s thesis prospectus and research ideas.

There are taught courses that I have to attend in this journey of attaining my masters’ certificate with the Central European University. Various concepts in the study of Culture and Heritage have been made known to me and it’s even a matter of choosing which one I would like to include in my research. I have noted how for example cultural heritage policy course is so key to my study since I would like to come up with one. This however would not mean that other courses are of no significance for they all avail important insights into the heritage related issues, for example language and identity issues, memory and remembering, the presentation of heritage and other issues. Having these concepts and those from the coming semester classes, I do hope to complete my thesis in the timeframe provided by the department.