Reconciling National and Communal Identity in Kenya through the Asian African Heritage Exhibit

ABSTRACT

In the context of contemporary questions of identity and belonging, this paper examines the Asian African Heritage museum exhibit at the Nairobi Museum. The exhibit is an attempt by members of the Indian community to solidify their place in Kenya through rethinking Kenyan identity and the national historical narrative that frames that identity. This paper analyses the implications of using the museum as a platform for engaging questions of identity, memory and belonging. By analysing the process of putting up the Asian African Heritage exhibit, from its conceptualisation, mounting, reception and afterlife, this paper shows the richness of studying a single exhibit. Through this detailed analysis of the exhibit, I assert that museum exhibits, especially those that are organised by specific groups and communities, are relevant to study in their own right and by extension, are rich in understanding historical and contemporary contexts of postcolonial societies in which they are based.

KEYWORDS:

• Asian African heritage
• identity
• museum
• exhibit
• Kenya

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 I employ the term Indian to denote individuals from South Asia. Sometimes the term Asian African is employed in analysing the museum as the term chosen by the organisers of the exhibit.

2 I am not sure what the parameters for measuring popularity were, but I would presume they would entail the number of visitors coming specifically to see the exhibit.

3 The permanent exhibit was launched as the Asian African Heritage Gallery on March 24, 2022 at the Nairobi National Museum. At the time of the launch, only one third of the exhibition was complete and the team hoped to have a full exhibit done by the end of the year. More details on the opening can be found in this article by Margaretta Wa Gachuru, “Asians Africans Establish Heritage Gallery at National Museum.” Business Daily Africa, April 4, 22. https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/lifestyle/art/asian-africans-establish-heritage-gallery-national-museum-3770774.

4 In Africa, these undertakings were often motivated by post-independence desires to suture the national fabric out of disparate groups.

5 My correspondence with the curator entailed a question-answer email correspondence.

6 For example, dignitaries are often known for taking up more space in their comments in visitors’ books by using flamboyant signatures.

7 This is important for the Indian community in Kenya as many Indians moved away from Kenya to Canada, Australia, and the UK after independence. It is unsurprising then that the Toronto Ward Museum, dedicated to celebrating the diversity of Toronto’s population largely shaped by immigration, featured this exhibit on their website https://wardmuseum.ca/pathways/anonymous/part7/.

8 I use the term tribe here because it is the commonly used term in Kenya to refer to the cultural groups referenced by the curators and the legal status granted to Indians in Kenya in 2017 was ‘tribal'.

9 My own italicisation.