3D-printed replicas can’t replace originals held in European museums. But they’re rekindling Kenyans’ memories of long-missing artifacts—and inspiring calls for repatriation
Njoroge estimates that as few as 10 original ndomes remain in the Kikuyu homeland. When the team presents her with a 3D replica, she says: “It’s not the same. I'm not against copy-pasting, but let us have the original. Let these items be back with their culture. They’re supposed to beInside the small, single-room exhibition hall of the Kisumu Museum, the tile floor is faded and the ceiling tiles are brown with water damage.
Tiberius believes western museums exploit African culture by displaying their artifacts like “tourist attractions.” If the western museums were to return them, he says, “We can use them for educational purposes. It’s very important these things are returned so we can recreate the past for the next generation. Foreign tourists ought to come and view our cultureyou
In reality, most Kenyans don’t have the means to visit their artifacts abroad. “If elders want to go to visit their artifacts, they have to get visas for air travel. How are they supposed to afford that?” asks Njeri Gachihi, a researcher at the National Museums of Kenya. “What we know of museums is they are a foreign construct that takes items away from their homes, takes history away,” says Tayiana, who also co-founded the, which seeks to confront, challenge, and document the UK’s violent colonial history and artifactual acquisitions. “One of the greatest injustices for the concept of the museum is that it determines the value of what’s important and what’s not. But whose job is it to document history? We have our own stories to tell.
Neumann says there’s no reason museums should hold on to the originals. “We can talk about the object without showing them. It's more about the history and the context,” she says. “Imagine going to UK. You take the crown, you bring it here and put it on display, and you give a wrong history and a wrong name,” says Obure. “To us, it’s just a piece of art. To them, it’s the symbol of their nation. How do you reduce a symbol like that to just a piece of art? We cannot do that to them. Why do they do it to us?”