IPCH Seeds the Development of Centers for Cultural Heritage Conservation in Africa

Friday, January 10, 2025
A group of people gather around a table, one holds out an art object with purple gloves.

Participants using hygrometers to monitor climatic conditions in the McMillan Memorial Library in Kenya. Photo courtesy of Yale IPCH. 

In November 2024, Yale’s Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (IPCH) expanded its global engagement in Africa to support local cultural institutions to provide expertise in the conservation of collections of tangible cultural heritage. 

IPCH engaged Anupam Sah, a renowned specialist and educator in heritage conservation, to deliver hands-on training in collections care and management to over 20 cultural heritage professionals in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. This training was offered through IPCH’s signature international program, the Yale Directors Forum, a fellowship program working with leaders of museums and cultural institutions across the African continent.

A group of people carefully dust books with large brushes.

Book Bunk Staff dusting books at Eastlands Library in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo courtesy of Yale IPCH.

Training workshops took place at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Stellenbosch University Museum in South Africa, and Book Bunk, a non-profit organization in Nairobi, Kenya, dedicated to restoring public libraries. The training activities focused on developing skills in collection inspection, preventative conservation, emergency remedial measures, storage interventions, and exhibition display. Following the workshops, participants have implemented conservation treatments to help preserve a range of materials in their collections. They have also developed centers within their institutions by creating dedicated workspaces where collections staff provide ongoing preservation and restoration services. 

The training program will continue through the end of 2025, expanding to six additional countries in Africa. Combined with the other components of the Yale Directors Forum fellowship, the program aims to deepen collaborations with African cultural institutions to help safeguard the continent’s cultural heritage and support a new generation of global leaders in the cultural heritage sector.