Exhibition: Ode to Ancestors – archived photographs of Kenyan archaeology at The Horniman Museum
The Horniman Museum and Gardens’ powerfully de-colonises perceptions of African heritage in its new exhibition by illuminating the many contributions made by African archeologists to their own culture and history.
Ode to Ancestors is a collection of archived photographs from the 1920s to the present day which serve to highlight the forgotten narratives of African archeologists and finally celebrating their work. It is free to visit and opened yesterday.
The exhibition has evolved through research into Kenyan archeologists, heritage professionals, and conservators in partnership with the National Museums of Kenya, who have a sister exhibition in Fort Jesus.
Curator Sherry Davis said: “My late grandfather Karisa Ndurya was one of the first Africans to excavate ancient monuments in Kenya.
He worked as a foreman during the colonial period, alongside a British archaeologist, James Kirkman. “Kirkman and other Europeans are acknowledged all over sites like Fort Jesus but no Africans have their names commemorated on the walls.
“Ode to the Ancestors at the Horniman and its sister exhibition at Fort Jesus are correcting the narrative, unearthing the important work of Africans around built heritage, celebrating their contributions, and finally giving them the credit they deserve.”
There will also be new collages, poems and a video by a group of young people with African and Caribbean heritage in the UK which will express how reclaiming African history resonates with them.
Alongside this, there will be a smaller exhibition of ancient objects from the Horniman collection, excavated in 1931 from a site called Gamble’s Cave in Kenya’s Rift Valley, as researched by Louis Leakey, and many more forgotten contributors.
Visit: Ode to the Ancestors – Horniman Museum and Gardens
Picture: Kamoya Kimeu and John Onyango, two prominent Kenyan archaeologists, excavating a Neolithic burial site, 1974-75. Picture: National Museums of Kenya
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