Indigenous Community Leadership
African Voices Archive
His Imperial Majesty (HIM), Oba, Dr. Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja, II.
His Royal Majesty Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Erediauwa I
Field:
Dr. Valence Valerian Silayo is a lecturer in history, archaeology and heritage conservation at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. His research interests include various aspects of African archaeology, pre-colonial defence systems, socio-political structures, social complexity, the analysis of pre-colonial material culture, restitution and reparation, and the management of communal heritage. For many years, his research has illuminated the rich history, complexity and heritage of African societies, placing the knowledge of communities of origin at the centre of his research. His research in the archaeology and the management of cultural heritage in the Kilimanjaro region represents an important contribution to understanding the past and the present of its inhabitants. He was a Gerda Henkel Fellow at the Linden-Museum Stuttgart for two years (2023–2025).
Country:
Published Work: Cults, Crosses, and Crescents: Religion and Healing from Colonial Violence in Tanzania
Field:
Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi (Ojaja II) is the 51st and current Ooni of Ife, who leads the Giesi Royal House of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. He is a Yoruba monarch, accountant, and entrepreneur known for youth empowerment and promoting cultural unity. With the increasing repatriation of Ife cultural belongings to Nigeria, he has advocated for the belongings to be returned and housed in Ife; close to the community of origin.
Country:
Field:
Oko Godfrey Edokparhogbuyunmwun Basimi Eweka (7 January 1899 – 11 June 1978), ascended the Benin throne as Oba Akenzua II in 1933. He envisioned modernizing the Edo people while preserving Benin cultural values amidst Nigeria's changing landscape. He championed western education, benefiting from his own impressive schooling at Government School Benin City and King's College Lagos. His professional training in administration prepared him to promote educational opportunities for future Edo generations, significantly influencing the establishment of Edo College. He also maintained the monarchy's relevance in colonial Nigeria and facilitated cooperation under British indirect rule. Oba Akenzua II built upon these foundations, achieving high administrative roles while serving as Oba. His contributions included membership in the Nigerian Legislative Council and the Western Region House of Chiefs. In 1966, he became Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University and received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Benin in 1972. One of the earliest recorded restitution efforts for the return of Benin belongings are attributed to Oba Akenzua II, who demanded the return of the Royal Stools from the Royal Museum of Ethnology in Germany in 1935/6, which resulted in the purchase of replicas.
Country:
Field:
Gaob Johannes Isaack is a prominent Namibian traditional leader and activist, currently serving as the Gaob (Chief) of the /Hai-/Khaua Traditional Authority and the Chairperson of the Nama Traditional Leaders Association (NTLA). Isaack is a leading figure in the campaign for reparations from Germany for the 1904–1908 Nama and Herero Genocide. He has openly critcised the 2021 Joint Declaration between Namibia and Germany, titled ""United in Remembrance of Our Colonial Past, United in Our Will to Reconcile, United in Our Vision of the Future"", arguing that the affected communities have been entirely excluded from direct participation in the negotiations between governments. In August 2021, he was appointed as a substantive litigant and Chairperson for the joint Ovaherero and Nama genocide reparation campaign and litigation in a class action lawsuit against the Federal Republic of Germany for its role in these atrocities. Isaack has also called for a ""decolonised knowledge production"" of Namibian history. He has been instrumental in advocating for the investigation of Shark Island, a former concentration camp, and he frequently speaks at the Nama Cultural Festival in Keetmanshoop, emphasizing the preservation of Nama traditions. He also advocates for the economic development of his region. He has recently urged the fast-tracking of the Neckartal Dam Irrigation Project to bring economic benefits to the Berseba area and the country at large.
Country:
Field:
His Royal Majesty Sehm Mbinglo I is the 28th Fon (King) of Nso in the North West Region of Cameroon, enthroned on September 6, 1993. As the traditional leader and spiritual guide of the Nso people in Kumbo, he has reigned for over 30 years despite challenges from the ongoing Anglophone crisis. As the Fon he is also the traditional custodian of the Nso heritage, and has led, been involved in and/or supported all efforts to return Ngonnso [Queen Mother of the Nso people] to Nsoland.
Country:
Field:
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.
Country:
Field:
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.
Country:
Field:
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.
Country:
Field:
Prince Kum’a Ndumbe III, the founder of AfricAvenir International, is a renowned and dedicated pan-African scholar. He is a prolific author and the legitimate heir to the throne of Lock Priso (Kum’a Mbape), one of the most significant traditional rulers of the coastal peoples of Cameroon (Sawa). His lifelong commitment has been to the revival and critical reassessment of African cultures, the continent’s history, and the preservation of Africa’s historical artefacts and cultural identity. Prinz Kum’a Ndumbe III continues to champion restitution efforts, notably advocating for the return of the Tangue and compiling extensive documentation to support his claims to Lock Priso’s legacy.
Affiliation(s): AfricAvenir International
Country:
Published Work: Restituez à l’Afrique ses objets de culte et d’art! : Reconstituons notre mémoire collective africaine! Douala IVè/Cameroun : Éditions AfricAvenir.
