Description
Juma relates restitution of African heritage products to human rights. He reveals how post-colonial legislations have been abused, thereby dislodging cultural objects from the community, to the western nations.
He also exposes the myth surrounding African heritage products stored in Western Museums, as artistic objects, rather than being valuable spiritual, economic and political objects to the lives of the communities from which they were stolen from.
He fondly narrates about human remains stored in the global North and the Vigango (funerary posts from the Giriama Community) held in Germany museum, and their relevance in protecting the community. He crusades for the cultural products to be brought back to the relevant communities who initially owned them and have spiritual bonds with them.
Juma describes the process of restitution of cultural heritage objects and explores gaps related to restitution. He reveals the secret power hidden in the African voice, Pan-African movement and funding towards restitution of African cultural products and invokes the role restitution would play in Innovation.
Mr Juma Ondeng’ has studied Cultural Heritage and International Development at the University Of East Anglia (UK) and is currently working with the National Museums of Kenya as Keeper Antiquities, Sites and Monuments-Western Region.
He is also one of the founding members of the International Inventories Programme – an international research and database project that investigates Kenyan objects held in museums and heritage institutions globally.