Museums, Intangible Cultural Heritage, and Changing Societies
The Ber gi dala Exhibition and Cultural Heritage Preservation at the Kisumu Museum, Kenya
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9284239 |
|---|---|
| Authors | E M Luby (0000-0001-6945-4076, corresponding author), Isaya O Onjala, Daniel Kibet Arap Mitei |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue | 3-4 |
| Pages | 118-130 |
| Publication date | 2016-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Museum International (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1350-0775 • E-ISSN: 1468-0033 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/muse.12128 |
| OpenAlex | W2605417896 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
The aim of this article is to give an account of the Ber gi dala exhibition at the Kisumu Museum, Kenya. It focuses on the customs, traditional buildings, and intangible cultural heritage of one of the major tribal groups in Kenya, the Luo. The development and use of this innovative exhibition, insofar as it recreates traditional Luo homesteads is first analysed. The exhibition's relevance in the framework for preserving and interpreting intangible cultural heritage is then discussed. Lastly, the exhibition's role as a model for presenting relevant museum‐based, community‐oriented heritage preservation initiatives in a place undergoing rapid change is highlighted in the final section. Additional informationNotes on contributorsEdward M. LubyEdward M. Luby is Director of the Museum Studies Program, Professor of Museum Studies, and Director and Chief Curator of The Global Museum at San Francisco State University. Prof. Luby was formerly Associate Director of the Berkeley Natural History Museums, University of California, Berkeley. He received his Ph.D. from Stony Brook University, New York. Prof. Luby's research and professional development activities are in three overlapping areas: understanding and developing best practices for museums concerning interactions with community or descent groups; collections‐based museum research; and developing international museum professional exchange and training programmes. Recent work includes 'Archaeological Curation and the Research Value of Archaeological Collections' in Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals, with K. Lightfoot and V. Bradshaw, and a Site Preservation Grant from the American Archaeological Institute with Dr. I. Onjala, entitled 'The Stone Enclosures of Thimlich Ohinga: A Community‐Based Conservation Project in Western Kenya.'Isaya O. OnjalaIsaya O. Onjala is Director of the Institute of Cultural Heritage and Material Science and Senior Lecturer at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology. Dr Onjala previously served as Assistant Director, Western Region, with the National Museums of Kenya. He received degrees from the University of Nairobi and obtained his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Alberta, Canada. He is an expert on the scientific study of cultural environments and materials and the management of heritage for development and education. He has undertaken archaeological and heritage research projects in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Canada. His work has also involved protecting heritage and transforming the same into economically viable entities to benefit society. Dr Onjala is currently engaged in educating the public on transforming heritage into economically viable entities with the aim of promoting heritage tourism in all Kenyan counties.Daniel Kibet Arap MiteiDaniel Kibet arap Mitei is the Chief Curator of the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), Kisumu, and was formerly Coordinator of Public Programmes at NMK and Senior Curator at Nairobi National Museum. He has served as education officer and curator in a number of museums in Kenya, has helped develop and mount exhibitions in NMK, and assisted in the development of regional museums in Kenya. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Chandigarh University, India, and is currently studying for his M.A. in Peace and Conflict Management at Egerton University, Kenya. Mr Mitei is the current treasurer of the International Council of African Museums, an organisation established to network and develop African museum professionals. His current programmes include Pangaea, an Internet‐based, peace‐engineering activity geared towards providing a platform for young children across the globe to interact despite differences in languages and background
Archaeology · Art · Cultural heritage · Exhibition · Library science · Museum informatics · Sociology · Visual arts · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Archaeological Research and Protection · Geographies of human-animal interactions · History · Museology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |