About the Workshop

“Rethinking Exhibitions in African Museums” workshop addresses the lingering colonial influences in museum collections, design, display, and engagement strategies across Africa. With a rise in new museum initiatives and growing global interest in African collections, the workshop seeks to explore ways to make museums more culturally relevant and appealing. Key discussion points include creating exhibitions that reflect indigenous African cultural perspectives, developing ethical and sustainable collections management systems using innovative digital technologies, and redesigning museum spaces to be inclusive and welcoming. The goal is to foster museums that truly represent and serve African communities.

9:00am – 9:15am
Opening Remarks

Welcome Remarks by Seun Oduwole

Mr Olugbile Holloway - Opening Remarks from the Director National Commission for Museum and Monuments

Iheanyi Onwuegbucha – Keynote and introduction to the workshop discussions.

9:30am – 11:45am
Workshop Session 1:  Promoting Cultural Inclusivity in African Museums

Moderation
Iheanyi Onwuegbucha

Objectives

• To develop actionable strategies for reimagining museum practices in Africa and redefining the museum’s role within a postcolonial context by incorporating or adopting indigenous African practices in contemporary/postcolonial museology.

Speakers:

1. (Case Study and Strategy) Sonia Lawson
   Lawson will share her experience of dealing with the challenges of presenting contemporary and ethnographic objects at Palais de Lome and what strategies could be adopted for ethnographic museums in Africa. 

2. (Strategy) Kodzo Gavua
   The effects of cross-cultural interactions on Africa’s cultural heritage and economic development will provide useful insights on how to address questions of cultural sensitivity and inclusivity when designing transnational and multicultural African exhibitions.

3. (Strategy) Dr. Will Rea, University of Leeds
   Dr. Rea will give a presentation from his research on how museums can use heritage to assert local identity by exhibiting sensitive materials that were once hidden.

4. Bongani Mgijimma

5. Henry Bundjoko, New Museum in Congo

12:30pm – 2:30pm
Workshop Session 2: Strategies for Designing Inclusive Museum Spaces in Africa

Introduction
Seun Oduwole

Moderation
Iheanyi Onwuegbucha

Objectives

• To develop innovative ideas for museum spaces that reflect communal African traditions while being accessible and inviting.

• To brainstorm ideas on design models and strategies that ensure museums are perceived as inclusive and community-oriented spaces.

Speakers (15 minutes each):

1. (Case Study and Strategy) Goabaone Gee Montsho, Botswana National Museum.
   Montsho will discuss accessibility challenges and approaches for making museum spaces accessible to people living with disabilities, drawing from his experiences as a blind curator.

2. (Strategy)Phillip Hughes, Exhibition Designer & Founder Living Objects.
   Hughes will present a showcase of museum and exhibition design solutions by Living Object.

2:30pm – 4:00pm
Continuation of Session 2

Objectives

• To develop innovative ideas for museum spaces that reflect communal African traditions while being accessible and inviting.

• To brainstorm ideas on design models and strategies that ensure museums are perceived as inclusive and community-oriented spaces.

Speakers (15 minutes each):

1. (Strategy) Ana Maria Duran Calisto, Architect and Urban Planner.
   Calisto will share examples from her research on principles of ancestral urban ecologies and lessons that could be adopted from practices in Latin America to the African context.

4:00pm
Tour of John Randle Center for Yoruba Culture and History

Exhibition Opening

Dinner