Yale Spotlights Leaders in Cultural Heritage across Africa and the World at Global Convening in Côte d’Ivoire
Yale Advances Cultural Heritage Leadership Worldwide
This June, Yale University’s Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (IPCH) will host its Global Symposium, a premier international convening of cultural heritage leaders, taking place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire from June 9–13, 2025. The event marks the culmination of the Yale Directors Forum (YDF), IPCH’s flagship fellowship program, a first-of-its-kind initiative advancing the leadership of museum and cultural institution executives across the African continent.
Launched in 2023, the Yale Directors Forum is a groundbreaking program designed to support and elevate a new generation of global cultural leaders. The inaugural cohort includes 16 executive directors from 11 African countries, each leading institutions such as museums, archives, libraries, and heritage sites. Over an intensive 18-month period, fellows collaborated with Yale faculty, staff, and international experts to enhance their leadership practice, expand professional networks, and strengthen institutional capacity.
A signature achievement of the fellowship was a continent-wide training initiative in collections management, which reached more than 50 staff members at YDF-led institutions. This effort led to the creation of eight new collection care and conservation centers across Africa, providing lasting infrastructure for the preservation of diverse cultural materials, from rare manuscripts and photographs to sacred objects and contemporary art. “The YDF fellowship offered more than just camaraderie—it created space to share experiences with other leaders across Africa and beyond. It exceeded my expectations and has truly been well worth my while,” said Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, Founder of the Nkyinkyim Museum in Ghana.
The 2024-2025 Cohort of Yale Directors Fellows in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Global Symposium, the capstone of the fellowship, will bring together more than 35 leaders for a week of dynamic seminars, strategic dialogue, and cultural site visits. Participants include YDF fellows, Yale faculty and staff, and international experts such as Helio Menezes, Brazilian curator, anthropologist, and Director of the Museu Afro Brasil; Regina Bain, Executive Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum in New York; and renowned Ivorian architect Issa Diabaté.
The week-long program will conclude with a celebratory event honoring the inaugural YDF fellows and recognizing outstanding contributions to global cultural leadership. Distinguished guests include Françoise Remarck, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Culture and Francophonie, and Jessica Davis Ba, U.S. Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire.
The symposium is a moment to reflect on what remarkable leaders across the African continent have built and to mobilize greater support for their visionary efforts to create cultural institutions that are centers of education, civic life, and global influence.
Charlotte Ashamu, Director of International Programs at Yale IPCH
The Yale Directors Forum exemplifies Yale’s commitment to global engagement and the preservation of cultural heritage. Through the program, Yale has expanded its collaboration with institutions in 11 African countries and built cross-regional linkages with institutions in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Asia. The fellowship draws on Yale’s interdisciplinary expertise, engaging faculty and staff from the Yale University Library, Yale Center for British Art, Yale School of Art, Yale School of Architecture, Yale Schwarzman Center, Yale School of Management, and Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs. “Our engagement with YDF fellow Wanjiru Koinange—first through a visit to her organization in Kenya, and later by welcoming her to speak at the Yale School of Management—has created rich opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration, both across Yale’s campus and with partners around the world,” said Tony Sheldon, Executive Director of the Program on Social Enterprise, Innovation, and Impact, and Senior Lecturer in the Practice of Management at the Yale School of Management.
