Museums
African Voices Archive
Golda !Ha-Eiros
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John Baya Mitsanze
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Dr Pastory Magayane Bushozi is the Director of Humanities Research Centre and a Senior in the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He is also a country representative to the Committee of the Eastern Africa Quaternary Research Association (EAQUA), and the Association of Southern Africa Paleontologists and Archaeologists (ASAPA). Dr Bushozi’s research focus on Human evolution, Lithic technology, Paleoecology and Heritage Management. He is interested on Quaternary human landscape for the past 2.6 million years. He tries to pursue research that focuses on influence of environmental changes to human evolution, cultural transformations and technological developments. He interested to understand when hominins had the cognitive ability to make objects that are more than just functional tools to butcher carcases, but something, which communicates the dreams and thoughts of toolmaker to others an act that differentiate humans with other hominins. Academically, Dr Bushozi holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada and a B.A in Archaeology and environmental studies and M.A in Archaeology from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He has researched and written extensively on the trend of human biological and cultural evolution, looking on inclination related to subsistence behavior, diet preference, technological innovations,human adaptation to the over changing environment as well as sustainable cultural heritage management and conservation.
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Professor Oswald Masebo is a prominent academic in the field of heritage, museums and German-Tanzanian relations, and a Senior Lecturer in the History Department at the University of Dar es Salaam. His publications focus on African history and the history of medicine and Tanzanian experiences of the First World War. He is the president of the Historical Association of Tanzania.
Affiliation(s): University of Dar es Salaam
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Published Work: Epistemologische Leerstellen in den verflochtenen Geschichten Tansanias und Deutschlands
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Ndeenda Shivute-Nakapunda is a prominent Namibian curator and artist currently serving as the Chief Curator of the National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN). Her work focuses on making museum collections more accessible and representative of the communities they serve. She graduated from the University of Cape Town, with BA in Fine Arts (Photography) and Honours in Curatorship. At NAGN she leads curatorial efforts, artist engagement, and exhibition development. She has been actively involved in promoting Namibian art, including facilitating workshops for local artists, and securing funding and collaborations with local and international institutions. In 2023, Shivute-Nakapunda co-conceptualised Artistic Research Communal Knowledge (ARCK) with Golda !Ha-Eiros. The objective of the project was to reintegrate 23 cultural belongings that had been repatriated through the Confronting Colonial Pasts, Envisioning Creative Futures Project into their societies of origin, through community research and the arts.
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Dr. Martha Akawa-Shikufa is a histrorian and educator who currently heads up the Department of Geography, History and Environmental Studies at the University of Namibia in Windhoek. She holds a holds PhD in History from the University of Basel, a Master's in Anthropology and Diploma in Heritage and Museum Studies from the University of the Western Cape, and a Bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Namibia. She possess a vast knowledge and experience of Namibian History, and is particularly interested in the liberation struggle of Namibia, gender and heritage relates issues. In 2014, she, along with Dr. Jeremy Silvester conceptualised >>Africa Accessioned<<, a multi-nation project that sought to build networks between museums in four African countries (Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe) held in museums in four European countries (Finland, Germany, Sweden and the UK). This project yielded a handful of returns, and formed the foundation for the first restitution project in Namibia - Confronting Colonial Pasts, Envisioning Creative Futures.
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Golda !Ha-Eiros is a museum and heritage professional, with a passion for post-colonial theory and over 10 years of experience in this sector, in Namibia. She is currently the Senior Curator at the National Museum of Namibia, and has previously served as Curator at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, and Curator of Collections at the National Art Gallery of Namibia. As a museum practitioner, !Ha-Eiros' work has often intersected with the broader, contentious process of restitution and reparations regarding the 1904 - 1908 genocide of the Herero and Nama. This intersection has led to her engagement with partners such as the Museums Association of Namibia, the University of Namibia (UNAM), and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. She has also been extensively involved in research, curation, and the restitution of cultural belongings looted during the German colonial era. In 2023, !Ha-Eiros co-conceptualised co-conceptualised Artistic Research Communal Knowledge (ARCK) with Ndeenda Shivute-Nakapunda. The objective of the project was to reintegrate 23 cultural belongings that had been repatriated through the Confronting Colonial Pasts, Envisioning Creative Futures Project into their societies of origin, through community research and the arts.
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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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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.
Affiliation(s): National Museums of Kenya
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Published Work: The Transatlantic Trade in African Ancestors: Mijikenda Memorial Statues (Vigango) and the Ethics of Collecting and Curating Non-Western Cultural Property
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Ambassador Robert M. Masozera was appointed the Director General of Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy Inteko y'Umuco) in 2020. The mission of this academy is to preserve national heritage and safeguard the national language (KINYARWANDA), the culture and its values as a foundation of national unity and dignity. In this capacity, he is responsible for Rwanda's museums and historical sites, national archives and library services, cultural creative industries and cultural tourism. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Rwandan National Commission for UNESCO, which provides expert analysis and policy advice to the Rwandan government on UNESCO-related issues, and at the same time serves as the focal point for the UNESCO World Heritage Convention in Rwanda. Prior to this appointment, he was the Director General of the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda (INMR) since October 2016. Previously, he was Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the Kingdom of Belgium and Permanent Representative to the European Union (2011-2015) and Deputy Ambassador at the Embassy of Rwanda in Germany (2000-2007). This gave him extensive experience in diplomacy and foreign affairs in his country, Rwanda. Masozera holds a Master's degree in Political Science, International Relations and Journalism and Communication Sciences from the University of Vienna, Austria, obtained in 1999. His expertise is wide-ranging and covers fields as diverse as culture and heritage, diplomacy, international cooperation, communication and public relations, mass mobilization, foreign affairs, security, economic and trade issues. - Director General of National Museums of Rwanda [Institut National du Musées Rwandaise] (INMR) participated in the ‘Sharing Past and Future : Strengthening African-European connections' conference where he raised issues surrounding Belgium's possession of Rwandese archives, and demanded access. Later become DG of Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy.
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Heba Abd el Gawad is an Indigenous Egyptian heritage and museum activist and researcher. She is Senior Curator of Anthropology at the Horniman Museum and Gardens, facilitating Indigenous community research, care, and access to cultural belongings from North Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. She has co-developed, with UCL’s Prof. Alice Stevenson, the AHRC funded project: ‘Egypt’s Dispersed Heritage: Views from Egypt’, aiming at amplifying the voice, visibility and validity of modern Egyptian communities in UK museums. She focuses on developing meaningful and equitable community partnerships as a means of building relevant, relatable, and responsive social and economic futures for colonially extracted and exploited cultural belongings in UK museums. Abd el Gawas is committed to community-led participatory museum and research practices centred around and respectful of Indigenous ways of seeing, being and doing. She was selected as one of the most influential 21 Egyptian women in 2021 for her community work in the heritage sector.
Affiliation(s): Hornimam Museum and Gardens University College London Disrupting & Reorienting Restitution
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Published Work: Egypt’s dispersed heritage: Multi-directional storytelling through comic art ; Strategic Narcissism: A Lived Experience of ‘Decolonising’, Inclusion of and ‘Collaborations’ with Indigenous Researchers
