Centre for African Art and Archaeology - CFAAA

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Centre for African Art and Archaeology - CFAAA

CfAAA's home is at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, UK.

The Centre for African Art and Archaeology is a group that brings together academics, professionals and practitioners in the field of African arts and archaeology. The Centre for African Art and Archaeology was established at the University of East Anglia in 2009 to reflect the strong convergence of research and teaching interests related to African Art, Museology and Archaeology.

28/05/2026

We are excited to announce the last CfAAA talk of this academic year. Former CfAAA Director Prof Dr Anne Haour (University of Cologne) will give a talk titled "Places of value in coastal Bénin: Is there any role for archaeological sites?"

Use this link if joining online: https://tinyurl.com/2j848zp7

All welcome!

Abstract
The coastal area of the present-day Republic of Bénin (West Africa) contains archaeological and historical sites of global significance, but this area remains archaeologically understudied compared to inland precolonial states like Dahomey. Recent research has provided insights into fishing and salt-producing communities, as well as involvement in Atlantic trade networks. Building on this, we are now investigating how heritage, especially archaeological heritage, can support climate change responses. Beyond the Bénin government’s plans to make heritage-based tourism a lever of sustainable development, what do tourism providers and local inhabitants think of this heritage?

Bio
Prof Anne Haour is an anthropologically trained archaeologist, and Director of the Africa Research Unit (Forschungsstelle Afrika) at the Institute for Prehistory and Early History at the University of Cologne. Her research, which focuses on the period CE 500–1500, examines how objects reflect political and cultural connections and helped build identities in the past. As part of this work, she has developed sustained engagement with the fields of history and cultural heritage. Her recent research expands into intangible aspects and notions of valued places, in the context of which she leads a major research project in southern Bénin as part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office/International Development Research Centre (Canada) CLARE programme.

20/05/2026

We would like to thank Prof Shadreck Chirikure for his talk last week. It was a great opportunity to learn about changing interpretations of Great Zimbabwe, particularly recent interventions that centre local perspectives.

We would also like to thank Dr Awet Araya for his contributions as CfAAA's Executive Officer this academic year during his tenure at The Sainsbury Research Unit. Dr Araya's tireless efforts facilitated smooth implementation of our programmes. We acknowledge his insightful ideas and organisational inputs that guided the efficient delivery of the Centre's activities. We wish Dr Araya the best in his future endeavors!

19/05/2026

Please join us tomorrow for the in-person talk titled "Painting History: A Conversation on Vivienne Koorland's Izieu Paintings and Related Works," led by Prof Tamar Garb (University College London) in discussion with Dr Ed Krčma (University of East Anglia).

We hope to see you there!

12/05/2026

Just a reminder that we are hosting Prof Shadreck Chirikure tonight at 5 pm (London, GMT +1) for his talk on Great Zimbabwe. We would love to see you there, whether online or in person.

Use this link if joining online: https://tinyurl.com/yrhyktjp

We would also like to highlight a joint seminar we have next week on 20 May in association with the World Art Research Seminar and the UEA Seminar in Jewish Studies. You will find an updated term card here reflecting this upcoming talk.

06/05/2026

We would like to announce our next CfAAA talk happening on Tuesday 12 May 2026. Prof Shadreck Chirikure (University of Oxford) will give a talk titled "Great Zimbabwe."

Use this link if joining online: https://tinyurl.com/yrhyktjp

All welcome!

Abstract
Great Zimbabwe, located 28 kilometres southeast of modern Masvingo in Zimbabwe, is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Africa. Flourishing between the 11th and 16th centuries, it provides compelling evidence of advanced indigenous state formation, economic organisation, and architectural achievement. Its dry-stone buildings, especially the Great Enclosure, demonstrate sophisticated engineering and urban planning, while the settlement may once have supported between ten and twenty thousand people. This presentation examines the extent to which trade networks and cattle-based wealth contributed to the rise and sustainability of Great Zimbabwe as an urban and political centre. It argues that the control of local and regional resources, participation in long-distance Indian Ocean trade, and the accumulation of cattle as a form of wealth were central to the consolidation of political authority and urban growth. Great Zimbabwe operated as a major node in both local and international exchange networks, linking inland resources to coastal markets, as shown by imported ceramics and glass beads. As a powerful symbol of African achievement, Great Zimbabwe challenges colonial interpretations by revealing the complexity of indigenous African urbanism.

Bio
Professor Shadreck Chirikure is the Director of the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art in Oxford. His research uncovers the deep history of human creativity by studying ancient objects, materials, and technologies. Working between archaeological sites, museums and scientific labs, he reveals how past communities made things, shaped their environments, and understood the world around them. His work connects material heritage to today’s global questions, from innovation to inequality and the legacies of colonialism in economic development. He is a fellow of the British Academy.

26/03/2026

We would like to celebrate Dr Bolaji Owoseni and Abdulmalik A. Abdulmalik who were selected for the 2025–2026 SAFA–ACDF Radiocarbon Dating Award.

Dr Bolaji Owoseni is a Senior Research Associate at the University of East Anglia, UK. Her archaeological research focuses on early architectural traditions and settlement development in northern Nigeria. Abdulmalik A. Abdulmalik is a CHASE doctoral researcher at the University of East Anglia, whose research centres on cultural entanglement in West Africa.

Congratulations!

https://safarchaeology.org/Award-Recipients-2026

20/03/2026

We would like to thank Dr Njabu Chipangura for his talk yesterday titled "Whose Stories are Told by Museums with African Collections from Colonial Contexts." We enjoyed hearing about his care-centred approach to curatorship and how it informed initiatives at Manchester Museum. Dinner provided an opportunity to continue the animated conversation. Thank you to all who attended in person or online.

After the April break, we will host Prof Shadreck Chirikure to deliver a talk titled "Great Zimbabwe" on Monday 11 May. Mark your calendars!

18/03/2026

We would like to thank Dr Freda Nkirote M’Mbogori (National Museums of Kenya) for her talk on Wednesday titled "Reconsidering Pastoralist Vessels: Archaeological Insights from Milk Containers." We enjoyed learning about different types of milk containers among Gabra and Borana pastoralists, engaging with themes of climate change, youth and transformation, among others. The Q&A and the dinner afterwards provided enriching opportunities to continue the conversation. Thank you to our online and in-person attendees.

We look forward to hosting Dr Njabu Chipangura tomorrow for his talk "Whose Stories are Told by Museums with African Collections from Colonial Contexts." Please join us.

13/03/2026

We would like to release an updated term card with our upcoming talks this Spring, noting two changes to our calendar. First, we will welcome Dr Freda Nkirote M’Mbogori this Monday 16 March. Second, the date of the talk by Prof Shadreck Chirikure has changed to Monday 11 May. Thank you for noting these changes, and we look forward to seeing you soon, whether in person or online.

Thank you again to our previous speakers this semester: Dr Will Rea & Dr Eva Namusoke.

11/03/2026

We would like to announce a second CfAAA talk happening next week on Thursday 19 March 2026. Dr Njabulo Chipangura (National University of Ireland) will give a talk titled "Whose Stories are Told by Museums with African Collections from Colonial Contexts."

Use this link if joining online: https://tinyurl.com/3jjefefk

All welcome!

Abstract
In this paper, I will look at what it means to relationally care for African collections from colonial contexts in view of collaborating with and giving access to diaspora African communities as part of decolonisation. An empirical practice of decolonisation informed by notions of relational care and the disobedient museum will be presented drawn from my own practice and positionality having been the curator of collections at Manchester Museum between 2022 – 2025. I argue that curating with care is not only a way of work but is a theoretical perspective that challenges structural discrimination, sexism, racism, systematic injustices and colonial legacies in museums. Care is also extended in this discussion to look at what it means to care for each other’s pluriversality of epistemologies and ontologies by subverting epistemicides that are still embedded in museums. I will use examples drawn from an object handling workshop that I hosted at Manchester Museum as part of Africa Day Celebrations in May 2024. The aim of this workshop was to collaborate with communities of African heritage in Greater Manchester to gather new information about objects of African origin in the collection of Manchester Museum. Thereafter, new stories and new meanings were reimagined transcending usual anthropological discourses that traditionally treat African objects as timeless representations of cultures of the “other”. Using this workshop as a contact zone of engagement, I present curating as a space of social care that facilitates dialogue and strengthens active relationships with diaspora communities.

Bio
Njabulo Chipangura is Assistant Professor of African Anthropology at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, where he specializes in museum anthropology and critical heritage studies. He joined Maynooth University in February 2025, following his role as Curator of Anthropology at Manchester Museum, University of Manchester (2022–2025). Prior to that, he spent over a decade as Curator of Archaeology at the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, based at Mutare Museum (2009–2020). He holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg , South Africa. His work critically engages with the coloniality embedded in museums and advocates for collaborative, community-based methodologies. He is currently working on a monograph called 'Whose Stories are told by Museums with African Collections from Colonial Contexts?', on which this talk is based, to be published by Berghahn, New York/Oxford in 2027.

09/03/2026

We are happy to announce the next CfAAA talk on Monday 16 March 2026. Dr Freda Nkirote M’Mbogori (National Museums of Kenya) will give a talk titled "Reconsidering Pastoralist Vessels: Archaeological Insights from Milk Containers."

All welcome!

Use this link if joining online: https://tinyurl.com/57588xdy

Abstract

This presentation examines indigenous technologies and cultural logics underlying the production and use of milk containers among Gabra and Borana pastoralists of the arid borderlands of northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia. Drawing on perspectives from relational ontology and materiality, the paper argues that these containers should not be understood as merely utilitarian vessels but as relational objects constituted through interactions among people, livestock, landscapes, and substances. They embody indigenous knowledge systems, ecological knowledge and technical skill that enable pastoralist communities to preserve, transport, and transform milk in challenging environments. Through our ethnographic work, we contribute to archaeological discussions on indigenous technologies, relational materiality, and the importance of incorporating local ontologies into interpretations of pastoralist material culture in eastern Africa.

Bio

Dr Freda Nkirote M’Mbogori who is a Dunbarney Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge, is an archaeologist and Senior Research Scientist at the National Museums of Kenya. She previously served as Country Director of the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) and is the immediate former President of the Pan African Archaeological Association. Dr M’Mbogori has conducted extensive archaeological research and heritage work in the Mt. Kenya region, the Kenyan coast, northern Kenya, and southern Ethiopia. Through sustained archaeological research and community engagement, her work has advanced knowledge of long-term human–environment interactions and strengthened archaeological interpretation for policy-relevant insights. She is currently working collaboratively with the Gabra of northern Kenya and the Borana of southern Ethiopia on projects focusing on ancient wells, funded by the British Academy, and endangered material knowledge, funded by Arcadia through the British Museum.

Address

Sainsbury Centre For Visual Arts
Norwich

Website

https://www.uea.ac.uk/art-history/centre-for-african-art-and-archaeology

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