Advocacy
African Voices Archive
His Royal Majesty Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Erediauwa I
Haye Makorani-a-Mungase ywa Fungahe (His Majesty Makorani Mungase VII)
Mzee Mohammed Akare Berhe
Mkidjo Baiba Dhidha Mjidho
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Collins Chongo Chipote is a museum and heritage expert, as well as a practicing lawyer. He holds a Cert. in Journalism & Public Relations (Evelyn Hone College of Applied Arts and Commerce), a BA ED and LL (University of Zambia), a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Drafting (Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education) and an MPhil (Cantab Cambriodge Univesrity in England). Chipote joined the National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC) as an Asistant Conservation Officer and rose to a Regional Director. He then served as the Executive Director of the NHCC of Zambia from 2013 to 2018/2019. His major achievements in this role included successfully steering Zambia onto the World Heritage Committee, and presenting the case for the repatriation of Kabwe Man (also known as Broken Hill Skull) before the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of the Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin, on behalf of the Zambian delegation. His bid resulted in the committee recommending that Kabwe man should be returned, and that the respective parties involved (Zambia and Britain) should enter into negotiations to agree on the terms and conditions of this return. He is currently practicing law as a Partner, in John-Sitimela & Partners, Law Firm. He is also the Vice-President ICOMOS, Zambia (International Council of Monuments and Sites, Zambia).
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Ivan Munhamu Murambiwa (20 October 1965 - 7 August 2021) was a distinguished teacher, archaeologist, and archivist who contributed significantly to the growth and development of the National Archives of Zimbabwe and the broader archival community in Zimbabwe, and across the continent. Murambiwa held and a BA Honours in History and a Masters in Business Administration, both from University of Zimbabwe, as well as a Master of Philosophy (Heritage Management) from Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge (UK), which he earned after being awarded the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholarship in 1990. Murambiwa joined the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) where he worked in various capacities including inter-alia, Curator of Archaeology, Heritage Programme Coordinator and Regional Director for the Eastern Region (Manicaland) between 1997 to 2000. In 2000 he was promoted to Director of National Archives of Zimbabwe at a prime age of 35, a post he held until his untimely death on 07 August 2021. Ivan Munhamu Murambiwa's leadership exemplified bravery and resilience in the face of sanctions at the National Archives of Zimbabwe. He spearheaded a number of initiatives including capacity building for records and archive management through tertirary institutions, and the digitisation of endangered and rare materials in the archival collection. He also invited a diversity of perspectives into the archive through projects like 'Capturing a Fading National Memory' and the 'One Nation, One Zimbabwe Project'. Regionally and internationally, he was a leading voice in the field of Records and Archives Management. He was a member of the International Council, Secretary General of SADC Association of Museums and Monuments (SADCAMM), and was twice-elected President of ESARBICA, enhancing regional collaboration. He actively advocated for the repatriation of migrated and dispersed archives back to their countries of origin. In 2011, he successfully led the demand for the repatriation of the Rhodesia Cabinet Files, which had been smuggled out of Zimbabwe to South Africa in the late 1970s, amidst the collapse of United Democratic Front's white-minority rule.
Affiliation(s): National Archives of Zimbabwe Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Branch of International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Unversity of Zimbabwe
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Published Work: Archiving to the last archivist standing: the National Archives of Zimbabwe under sanctions
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Mostafa Waziry is an Egyptian archaeologist and Egyptologist who served as the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities from September 2017 to March 2024. In this prominent role within Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, he directed the oversight of nationwide excavations, artifact preservation, and the promotion of archaeological research, contributing significantly to the global appreciation of ancient Egyptian civilization. Waziry managed the approval processes for archaeological missions across Egypt, ensuring compliance with preservation standards while facilitating over 50 active Egyptian-led excavations that contributed to major site developments in areas like Saqqara and Luxor. Under his leadership, the SCA strengthened international collaborations, forging agreements with entities like the Republic of Kazakhstan for the restoration of historical mosques, such as Al-Zahir Baybars in Cairo, and with South Korea for the preservation of Ramses II's temple at Abu Simbel.These partnerships not only provided technical expertise and funding but also promoted cross-cultural exchanges in antiquities management. Additionally, Waziry prioritized the repatriation of looted belongings, successfully recovering over 114 items smuggled to France in 2021 and three artifacts from the United Kingdom in the same year, actions that bolstered Egypt's efforts against illicit trafficking amid ongoing global challenges to cultural heritage security.
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Zahi Hawass is an Egyptian archaeologist and public official, whose magnetic personality and forceful advocacy helped raise awareness of the excavation and preservation efforts he oversaw as head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). Following a one-year postgraduate course in Egyptology at Cairo University, Hawass won a Fulbright fellowship and enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Egyptology at the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1987. He then returned to Egypt, where he was named general director of antiquities for the Giza pyramids complex as well as for the historical sites at Ṣaqqārah and Al-Wāḥāt al-Baḥriyyah (Bahariya Oasis). At Giza in 1990, Hawass discovered a necropolis that housed the tombs of the pyramid builders, which proved, contrary to then-popular fringe theories, that the pyramids were indeed erected by Egyptians. By the time he was appointed secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) in 2002, Hawass was lauded for reclaiming Egyptology—for decades the province of Western scholars—for Egyptians. His zealous promotional efforts were seen to have engendered national pride and to have helped attract tourism. As head of the SCA, Hawass directed several other excavation projects that led to significant findings, including the discovery in 2008 of an Old Kingdom pyramid at Ṣaqqārah that was determined to belong to a queen of Teti. He also initiated the Egyptian Mummy Project, which used modern forensic techniques such as CAT scans to study both royal and nonroyal mummies. In 2009, facing mandatory retirement, Hawass was appointed Egypt’s Vice Minister of Culture, with responsibility for the SCA. Among his ongoing endeavours was the repatriation of several notable Egyptian artifacts from foreign museums, including the Rosetta Stone and the bust of Nefertiti. In July 2011 Hawass was one of more than a dozen government ministers removed from their posts in a cabinet reorganization meant to defuse widespread popular protests against the Egyptian interim government. In 2022, Hawass launched a renewed international campaign and online petition aimed at repatriating key ancient Egyptian artifacts from European museums. The campaign specifically focuses on three major items: the bust of Nefertiti, the Rosetta Stone, and the Dendera Zodiac.
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Farouk Hosny is an Egyptian artist. He initially started his career as the Director of El- Anfoushy Culture Palace, during which time he painted landscapes and seascapes depicting Alexandria. In the late 1960s, while he was on a trip to France, Hosni began painting abstractions. From 1971 to 1978 he lived in Paris, where he served as Director of the Egyptian Culture Center. During that period, in 1971, Hosni was awarded the National Prize of the Cagnes-sur-Mer Festival in Southern France. In 1979, after a short stay in Cairo, Hosni moved to Rome as Vice Director and then Director of the Egyptian Academy in Rome. He continued to paint and received positive attention from Italian cities when his work was shown on several occasions in private and public spaces. In 1987 he returned to Cairo when he was appointed to the position of Minister of Culture. As Minister of Culture, he modernized Egypt's cultural infrastructure by spearheading major projects like the construction/restoration of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Nubian Museum and Alexandria National Museum, the renovation of Islamic, Coptic, and ancient sites, the expansion of art centers and cultural palaces, and the ""Reading for All"" initiative. During his tenure, Hosny announced the development of the Grand Egytian Museum (GEM); a modern, technologically advanced institution in Giza that would house, preserve and exhibit over 100,000 artefacts. Shortly thereafter he rebranded the Department of Antiquities as the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA); a high-level council that was tasked with directly managimg, regulating, and protecting all archaeological excavations and antiquities in Egypt. In the 2000s, GEM and SCA, under the leadership of Hosny and Dr. Zahi Hawass, then became central to the aggressive State campaign for the return of Egyptian artefacts to the country. After just over 20 years of service as the Minister of Culture, Hosny effectively moved away from politics, focusing exclusively on his role as a prominent, globally recognized artist and cultural benefactor in Egypt. He creates art and exhibits, and he established the Farouk Hosny Foundation for Culture and Arts to support young creatives. He also opened the Farouk Hosny Museum; a space of memory and beauty that seeks to revive aesthetic dialogue and to establish art as a sustainable human value and a fundamental source of cultural awareness.
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Oba Erediauwa (22 June 1923 – April 2016) was the thirty-eighth Oba of Benin, traditional ruler of the Edo people in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. In 2007, during the opening of the 'Benin Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria' exhibition in Vienna, Austria he impassionately advocated for the return of the Benin Bronzes to the Kingdom of Benin. He subsequenty became a founding member of the Benin Dialogue Group, which is accredited with facilitating discussions that have led to the development of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), the launch of Digital Benin, and a number of Benin Bronzes being returned from multiple instutitions to Nigeria in recent years.
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Dr. Makorani Y'Dhidha-a-Mjidho was enthroned as the King of the Pokomo Community in Kenya in 2014. He also serves as the Dean of the School of Health and Human Sciences at Pwani University. As Haye Makorani-a-Mungase ywa Fungahe (His Majesty Makorani Mungase VII) he was tasked with leading restitution efforts for Ngadji, the sacred drum of the Pokomo. In 2014, he was the second Pokomo community member to see Ngadji, the sacred drum of the Pokomo community, after its over 100 year confinement in the British Museum. Following this encounter, he co-established The Return of Ngadji Initiative, an NGO dedicated to advocating for the return of the sacred drum to the Pokomo community, with his brother, Mkidjo Baiba Dhidha Mjidho. The Return of Ngadji Initiative collaborates with Black Initiative Alliance in the UK to demand the return of Ngadji from the British Museum.
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Mzee Mohammed Akare Berhe is the Chairman of the Gasa Council of Elders; senior community members from the Pokomo community, who are drawn from different parts of the Tana River County. He was instrumental in initiating The Pokomo Cultural Festival in 2014 and utilising this annual event to sensitize and reminded of community members of their cultural heritage, to speak on the value of Ngadji, and the importance of the return of the sacred drum. Following the exclusion of community members from restitution efforts in the UK, he has worked with local government, the State of African Diaspora and Pokomo community members to shape a grassroots demand for the restitution of Ngadji to the community of origin.
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Mkidjo Baiba Dhidha Mjidho is the elder brother to Haye Dr. Makorani-a-Mungase VII, King of the Royal Nation of Pokomo Communities, who resides in Liverpool, United Kingdom. In 2013, he was the first Pokomo community member to see Ngadji, the sacred drum of the Pokomo community, after its over 100 year confinement in the British Museum. He went on to co-establish The Return of Ngadji Initiative, an NGO dedicated to advocating for the return of the sacred drum to the Pokomo community, with his brother. The Return of Ngadji Initiative collaborates with Black Initiative Alliance in the UK to demand the return of Ngadji from the British Museum.
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Mostafa Waziry is an Egyptian archaeologist and Egyptologist who served as the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities from September 2017 to March 2024. In this prominent role within Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, he directed the oversight of nationwide excavations, artifact preservation, and the promotion of archaeological research, contributing significantly to the global appreciation of ancient Egyptian civilization. Waziry managed the approval processes for archaeological missions across Egypt, ensuring compliance with preservation standards while facilitating over 50 active Egyptian-led excavations that contributed to major site developments in areas like Saqqara and Luxor. Under his leadership, the SCA strengthened international collaborations, forging agreements with entities like the Republic of Kazakhstan for the restoration of historical mosques, such as Al-Zahir Baybars in Cairo, and with South Korea for the preservation of Ramses II's temple at Abu Simbel.These partnerships not only provided technical expertise and funding but also promoted cross-cultural exchanges in antiquities management. Additionally, Waziry prioritized the repatriation of looted belongings, successfully recovering over 114 items smuggled to France in 2021 and three artifacts from the United Kingdom in the same year, actions that bolstered Egypt's efforts against illicit trafficking amid ongoing global challenges to cultural heritage security.