ABSTRACT
The countries of Africa are a mix of predominantly rural and urban populations. For example, Gabon and South Sudan have the highest percentage of urban populations in the realm, while Ethiopia, Niger, Rwanda, Burundi, and Malawi have the most rural populations on the continent. The rural populations of Africa are immense, representing a wide range of cultures, religions, ethnicities, and social structures. Part of rural living is the development of unique cultural landscapes, including agricultural landscapes, which exude an appeal to tourists. The question often asked is how much of this heritage translates into resources for the people’s well-being, and into sustenance for today’s and future generations? The nature of rural heritage in Africa is the focus of this chapter, providing examples from throughout the region and focusing on rural livelihoods, cultural landscapes, villages, and other elements of the realm’s rural heritage. The forms of rural tourism will be examined, including a typology, and how heritage is weaved within the cultural heritage tourism product of rural Africa. The chapter makes use of existing literature and it concludes by noting that much of the rural cultural landscapes have been commodified for the tourism market. As a result, cultural landscapes should form part of the planning environment of decision-makers.
