African Digital Heritage is excited to announce and launch our online Historians in Residence program! The residency will support three African, early practice cultural heritage practitioners (individuals, not collectives) whose work engages with history from a dynamic and nuanced perspective. To do so, it will offer financial support amounting to $1500 and technical assistance to the residents and will run from March 2024 to August 2024.

The Inspiration…

There is a stark need to support individuals based on the African continent who are beginning their journeys in engaging African cultures and histories in meaningful and dynamic ways. This need has inspired us to create a program that can support African individuals in the early stages of their practice (the first five years).

Our definition of history is not one rooted in an archaic relic of the past, but one that we understand to be a verb; living dynamic and felt in our present, and holding the immense power to shape our futures. This residency recognises and acknowledges the need to support individuals who are based on the African continent, and are at the start of their pursuit of creating engaging yet meaningful work around African cultures and histories.

From March 2024 to August 2024, African Digital Heritage will aid the selected residents to grow and enhance their individual projects and provide avenues to network and build community with like-minded practitioners from all over the African continent.

The results are in!

Meet the Historians in Residence.

After an exciting vetting and interviewing process, we’ve selected our final two residents for the Historians in Residence Program.

We selected individuals:

Whose cultural or artistic work has strong ties to African history.
Who are creative, cultural practitioners, and artists in the first 5 years of their practice.
Are of African origin and live on the continent.
Who applied with a project, concept, or idea already in its actualisation stage.

We will be introducing these incredible individuals and their projects one by one.

Starting with…

Banji Chona: artist, researcher and curator.

Banji’s practice is expressed through earth-based alchemy. This involves using natural materials and visual poetry, expressed as digital collages which use anthropological photographs alongside personal objects, images and histories.

Chona’s works manifest in the visual, written and aural realm as experimental performance pieces, installations and dialogue.

Next up…

Akanyijuka Evans is a digital artist based in Kampala, Uganda.

Evans, will be creating a project based on the historical Battle of Kagogo, where Rujumbura resisted Ankole rule under the leadership of Omukama Makobore.

Using digital art, specifically photography, and collage, the project will visually depict what transpired during this historical event.

Residency Sessions:

Find the audio files on any of our social media platforms.

The Culture Catch Up with Historians in Residence Banji Chona & Akanyijuka Evans: Community Learning In Cultural Heritage

In an exceptional edition of the Culture Catch Up Public History Talks, we were honoured to have our Historians in Residence Banji Chona and Akanyijuka Evans, join us. They shared their experience of the residency program- as relates to what they learned while actualising their projects “Cisita” and the “Battle of Kagogo”, through the lens of working within and learning alongside our communities of praxis.

FAQs:

How do we determine who is a Historian in Residence?

Firstly, we are looking for individuals with a deep interest and passion for history. Secondly, while your work does not necessarily have to directly involve working with historical narratives, practices, and research, however, we do hope that there is a strong historical emphasis, reference, or foundational departure in the project that you would be applying with.

What do you mean by capacity building?

We define capacity building as the exercise of equipping the necessary individual with skills (e.g. fundraising, pitching, research, digitising, archiving) that would develop an understanding of the sector, strengthen their work and their work process.

What are we helping you achieve during this residency?

We will work with you to develop your project, assist you with any industry or project related challenges and provide a sounding board, financial support, and technical expertise to actualise your project goals.

Who can I reach out to with regard to questions I may have?