John Baya Mitsanze is the former Principal Curator of Coastal Sites and Monuments (The National Museums of Kenya) and an independent scholar of Giriama culture. He is a cultural heritage expert recognized for his significant work with the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) in the protection, documentation, and repatriation of Vigango (sacred funerary statues). He is of Giriama descent and has been a leading figure in efforts to return looted Vigango to the Mijikenda community on the coast of Kenya.
Publication Link
The Transatlantic Trade in African Ancestors: Mijikenda Memorial Statues (Vigango) and the Ethics of Collecting and Curating Non-Western Cultural Property