Celebrating the work of our projects in East Africa

The Book Bunk Trust has digitised over 31,549 newspapers, photographs and other items in the Macmillan Library in Nairobi, and has improved the storage conditions for these items, helping to prevent further degradation of this unique library collection.

They have trained 21 people in how to preserve, protect and digitise archives, created 25 paid internships and 5 casual employment roles and engaged over 150,000 viewers with their online activities.

The project’s YouTube video on ‘How to protect personal archives from climate change’ has had over 62k views. Watch here

St Andrew’s University, in partnership with the University of Dar Es Salaam has carried out important assessment and digitisation of the Kilwa Kisawini and Bagamoyo coastal heritage sites in Tanzania. The project also developed a database and an app, that local professionals and communities can use to record the tangible and intangible heritage of the local area and monitor climate effects. The app has generated more than 150 new database entries including records of sites, buildings, objects, stories and landscapes. Valuable training in heritage collection and documentation has been delivered to professionals, ministry staff and local community volunteers to continue this important work. .

The project produced a music video with young musicians and popular Tanzanian artist, Claudia Lubao, to increase awareness of the climate change related threats to heritage, which has had over 3k views. Watch here

In Uganda, the International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) worked in partnership with the Cross-cultural Foundation of Uganda to explore and protect the heritage sites, age-old traditions and beliefs of the Alur and Bakonzo communities in Uganda.

The project has carried out physical restoration to prevent further flood damage to sites and has documented culturally significant tangible heritage such as sacred sites and hot springs, as well as the intangible heritage of the local communities. Extensive training on the documentation of cultural heritage has been delivered to local professionals alongside awareness raising activities on the risks posed by climate change to traditional ways of life. An important exchange between the UK heritage site of Fountains Abbey and the Wang Lei site in Uganda took place; sharing best practice on how to handle flooding; a very real and global threat to cultural heritage.

The Federal Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH), in partnership with Mekelle University in Ethiopia, created an inventory of the sacred rock hewn churches of Tigray, as well as touristic guides for the area. Although they were unable to complete the physical assessment and repair of the churches due to the conflict, the project team undertook desk-based work documenting 28 churches and their cultural artefacts.

ICCROM, in partnership with National Museums Kenya, addressed the threats arising from climate change to some of the most vulnerable heritage sites on the coast of Kenya, through risk assessment, training, conservation and advocacy. The four heritage sites: Jumba la Mtwana National Monument, Siyu Fort on Lamu Island, Shimoni Slave Caves & Cultural Landscape and Kongo Mosque Heritage site, are at the centre of traditional communities and represent an important part of their cultural heritage.

The project has documented approximately 50 objects across the heritage sites and carried out important mitigation work at the Siyu fort to protect against the immediate threat of sea erosion. Risk management plans were developed for all 4 sites and 125 local site managers, caretakers and community members were trained in climate change and disaster risk management. The project has been instrumental in raising awareness and building capacity to protect Kenya’s valuable and threatened cultural heritage.