Description
A Koi board is a stylised carved representation of ancestors. It’s often made out of wood, as it’s believed each tree has a spirit and the koi is designed with the spirits within.
In this episode, we hear from the ancestral spirit of a Koi board which once occupied the spiritual centre of its community in the Purari Delta region of Papua New Guinea. It tells the story of its creation, function and current state of mind having been displaced for over a century.
On this sonic museum tour, Hanna Adan, with the assistance of experts, explores the fascinating spiritual landscape of the object’s origin, the role of Christian missionaries in colonisation and asks - what is the Museum’s duty towards objects of spiritual significance when the cultures of the source communities have drastically changed?
Produced and Presented by Hanna Adan
With story by George Bailey
Assistant Producer and Editor: Kwaku Dapaah-Danquah
Researcher: Seyi Bolarin
Starring Emmanuel Tipi
Contributors: Joshua Bell, Sarah Byrne and Anna Johnstone
Production Mentors: Jane Thurlow and Corinna Jones
Sound Designer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter
Tech Producer: Duncan Hannant
Executive Producers: Khaliq Meer & Leanne Alie
Commissioned for BBC Sounds Audio Lab by Khaliq Meer
Artwork by Joshua Obeng-Boateng
In this series of sonic museum tours, we’ve learnt about four objects currently in storage at various museums in the UK. We’ve addressed themes such as colonialism, theft and cultural erasure and how these have informed the function that museums play in society today.
In this final tour, Hanna...
Published 08/09/22
Gold weights were significant objects in pre-colonial Ghana as they were used to weigh gold dust during social and political engagements such as births, deaths, funerals and marriages. Gold weights come in a variety of shapes and sizes and in this episode, we focus on the spirit of the Sankofa...
Published 07/26/22