THE AFRICAN HERITAGE HOUSE NEWSLETTER
ISSUE NO. 1 January, 29th 2015.
Compiled and Published by: Strathmore University Art and Heritage Club and The
Friends of African Heritage.
Contact and directions: [email protected]; 0721 518389. :
[email protected]; 0704053523
INTRODUCTION.
This is a newsletter for the African Heritage House. It is compiled and produced by the Friends of African
Heritage House (yet to be launched) and the Strathmore Art and Heritage Club.
This newsletter is meant to educate, inform, raise awareness and enlighten us on what the African
Heritage House is all about and as well as its history with the Murumbi Collections.
This newsletter comes at an opportune time with the news that the African Heritage House has been
elevated into a National Monument. It was against the backdrop of a lengthy and relentless campaignpolitically, legally, socially, culturally, digitally- to save the house from its imminent demolition that the
idea of coming up with this newsletter was arrived at.
It is our firm belief that government planning ought to take into consideration the salient things that a
community holds dear. A community is defined as persons with similar interests: that is African Heritage.
In so doing it is vital for a country to ensure that there are laws in place for a- borrowing from sciencesymbiotic relationship between art and culture and development.
Art and culture is a way in which the human beings express themselves externally from their inner
experiences. Consequently, development- be it technological, infrastructural, or by other means- whose
aim is to promote the human well-being, ought not to sideline the heritage of a community.
In the 21st Century we need to be on our toes for any sign leading to the dwindling down of adherence to
our Heritage. Our Progeny needs it and through our choices we define their future.
Let us all promote, protect, and cherish our Heritage for the good and of our progeny.
AFRICAN HERITAGE HOUSE
The African Heritage House was designed by American Alan Donovan based on the indigenous
architectures he encountered from his many trips through Africa. The prestigious Architectural
Digest describes the house as “an architecture rising from the sere Kenyan plain like an
outcropping of earth, a vision of usefulness informed by the African genius for decoration. Inside
the house, every wall, floor and ceiling, is more proof, in textiles, wood, masonry, pottery,
weaponry and art, of the irreducible modernity of African art and crafts”. Donovan says,”an
equally important reasons for my home is to show people how to live with African art and crafts.
I think this indigenous artistic and cultural heritage is underappreciated, both in Africa and
worldwide. My house is a step toward preservation”.
Together with the second vice-president of Kenya, Joseph Murumbi, the two collected and tried
to preserve African art and African culture in all its forms. In 1972, in a bid to bring awareness of
Africa’s unique and beautiful art forms, they founded the African Heritage at the junction of
Koinange Street and Kenyatta Avenue, Africa’s first Pan African gallery. Tragically, the first
African Heritage burnt down in 1976 and African art worth millions were consequently lost.
Although the African Heritage was rebuilt it was demolished in 1997 to make way for the I&M
building.
At the time of demolition, African Heritage had become the world’s leading show window of
African arts and crafts with over 500 employees and over 5000 more providing items on a
commission basis for its 51 outlets worldwide. The World Bank described it as the “largest most
organized craft retail and wholesale operation in Africa… It is a pioneer, having raised handicrafts
from the level of souvenir trinkets to objet d’arts with world class appeal.” The legacy of the
African Heritage can be seen in the Maasai Market which morphed from African Heritage Tuesday
Buying Day’s.
The African Heritage is not what it used to be but Alan Donovan has refused to let his dream and
that of Joseph Murumbi die. His African Heritage collection at the African Heritage House
overlooking the Nairobi National Park is one of the finest in the world.
The house apart from housing an art collection spanning 50 years from all over Africa is a piece
of art itself. The original inspiration for the house is the towering mud mosques of Djenne and
Tombouctou in Mali which Donovan had seen when he first crossed the Sahara Desert in 1969
and saw the ”lost” mud architectures of Africa, most of which had been washed away and have
never been replaced. The West African designs on the walls drawn by Architect David Bristow’s
daughter, Joanna, were one of many experiments. Donovan, Joanna Bristow and Stephen Mungai,
former head carpenter of African Heritage, made molds out of styrofoam that were then nailed to
the wall and filled with cement. After the styrofoam was pulled off, the drying cement was shaped
by hand. The nine room dwelling is also influenced by the architecture of the Swahili of coastal
Kenya, Lamu and Zanzibar as well as the sculptural house styles of northern Nigerian and southern
Morocco. This House therefore remains of immeasurable cultural value to all Africans, and indeed
the whole human race. This is why the house is in the process of being made a national monument
and will be utilized as an Advanced African Studies Centre, linked to the collections and legacies
of the late Joseph and Sheila Murumbi which may be seen on 3 floors of the Kenya National
Archives, at the Old PC’s Office Nairobi Gallery, and the sculpture garden at the Murumbi Peace
Memorial at the Nairobi City Park.
You can follow this link to see what the African Heritage is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puA7JdW6oUc
AFRICAN HERITAGE HOUSE GAZETTED AS NATIONAL MONUMENT!!!!!!
26th January: A Mystical African Heritage House Day
The news that the house would be demolished dawned on us on the 26th January, 2014 after a
Kenyan soldier and two Chinese engineers walked into the house and declared it was on the route
of the SG railway. Coincidentally the news that the house would be made into a National
Monument was first published on the 26th January, 2015.
http://www.nation.co.ke/news/21-historical-sites-national-monuments/-/1056/2600204/-/bsvhqxz//index.html
This was against the backdrop that Alan Donovan and the African Heritage House community
were in the process of making the house into an Advanced African Studies Centre as a tribute to
the late Murumbi. However the threat of demolition stood in the way.
To Alan and those who have had the pleasure of hearing the story of the African Heritage, it felt
like history repeating itself. Before his death, Joseph Murumbi wanted to share his collection with
the people of Kenya and so he sold his house in Muthaiga with some of his vast collections of
books and art to the Kenyan government to be an Institute of African Studies. However, the house
was demolished and the land upon which the house stood was grabbed by unscrupulous politicians,
high and mighty in the government of the day.
http://www.eturbonews.com/55081/african-heritage-house-wins-battle-railway
http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/African-Heritage-House-saved-from-jaws-of-rail-building//539444/2606604/-/s1jwjiz/-/index.html
The effect of the House as a National Monument:
According to The Laws of Kenya under Section 2 of the National Museums and Heritage Act the
house becomes a cultural Heritage for the Kenyan People.
As a cultural Heritage, the house is protected under the Convention Concerning the Protection
of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, to which Kenya became a State Party on 5th June
1991. The Convention is operationalized by the World Heritage Committee in whose operational
guidelines of July 1977 was stated that:
“The cultural and natural heritage are for each nation and the international community
amongst their most important and priceless possessions. Because it is irreplaceable, any
loss or serious impairment of that heritage is a tragedy. The most important and priceless
heritage of all comprises those properties, cultural and natural, which can be considered
to be of outstanding universal value for the peoples of the world.”
The process is, however, in the final stages where the Kenyan Public are given 60 days to OBJECT to the
nomination of the House as National Monument.
Attached is the Gazette Notice:
TO OPEN THE DOCUMENT DOUBLE CLICK ON IT
Gazette Notice.pdf
AFRICAN HERITAGE HOUSE WINS INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR 2014
TRIP ADVISOR, the renowned site for world travelers, has given African Heritage House a special award
for the best B&B (bed and breakfast) reviews for 2014. There is also a provision to rate the house as an
attraction.
AFRICAN HERITAGE IN THE MEDIA
HOME AND LIVING, an important décor and life style magazine in Kenya features 6 full pages on The
African Heritage House in its Dec-Jan issue. The feature is announced by writer Susan O’meara as follows:
A RARE AFRICAN ATTRACTION “There are precious palaces, grandiose getaways and exclusive estates
all around the world, but when it comes to artistic legacy, none of them can touch African Heritage
House on the continent we call home.”
COUTURE AFRICA in its current issue reminisces about Kenya’s African Heritage Festival, which traveled
the world for over 3 decades with its troupe of musicians, models, acrobats, stilt walkers, chefs, and hair
dressers. The last major tour was sponsored by Lufthansa Airlines and Hotel Intercontinental in 1995,
which included a luxury bus, two Lorries to haul sets, costumes, plants, lighting and hand painted panels
to convert the hotel ballrooms of European cities into scenes from Kenya, as well as two elephants that
paraded through nine cities to promote the shows.
Alan Donovan
Alan Donovan, a prolific art collector, founded The African Heritage House (often called ‘Africa’s
most photographed house.’) after a long working relationship with Joseph Murumbi a co- founder
of the African Heritage Ltd.
“For nearly 40 years, Alan searched for the continent's beauty and creativity, passing through the
glorious sunrises and the magnificent sunsets that encompass the splendor and the calamity of each
new day. To those outside its magnetic spell, Africa may seem incomprehensible, fathomless, in
the primordial past. Yet, wherever we are in the world, every one of us had an African ancestor
that much is almost certain. Africa is the cradle of humanity..... As a co-founder of African
Heritage, the continent's first Pan African Gallery, in Nairobi, Kenya, I discovered Africa's rich
legacy to the world's art..... I served as a conduit and catalyst to reveal the awesome beauty of
Africa to its visitors and to others around the world.”
…from My Journey through African Heritage by Alan Donovan
He has been an important person to preserve this legacy as the Murumbi Trust chairperson.
MURUMBI LEGACY
THE MURUMBI AUTOBIOGRAPHY TO BE PUBLISHED IN 2015
The Ford Foundation in Nairobi has announced that it will consider providing funds toward printing the
Joseph Murumbi autobiography which will be published in 2015. The book, “A Path Not Taken” is in
Murumbi’s own words taken from transcripts he left behind in Nairobi and London.
The book is nearly ready for printing, with several pages of Murumbi and African Heritage photos. It
details the life of Murumbi from his birth at Uasin Gishu in Kenya during the early part of the twentieth
century, through his political career. Dissatisfied with the direction the country was going which he
perceived as serving the wealthy and not the people he had come to serve, he quit the government and
forged a new career in preserving, protecting and promoting African culture in all its forms. The book has
a Foreward by the Chief Justice of Kenya, Mr. Willy Mutunga.
ARTISTS EXHIBITIONS AT THE NAIROBI GALLERY
The Murumbi African Heritage Collections are housed in the Nairobi Gallery in Nairobi. There is a special
gallery where East African pioneer artists exhibit.
LOCATION TO THE NAIROBI GALLERY: http://www.museums.or.ke/content/blogcategory/51/75/
TWO AFRICAN ARTISTIC GENIUSES TO EXHIBIT AT THE NAIROBI GALLERY
Two of East Africa’s world famous pioneer artists, Elkana Ongesa and Expedito Mwebe will join
forces to present over 4 decades of outstanding artistic creations. Their works will be on show and
sale at the Nairobi Gallery, where the Murumbi African Heritage Collections are on permanent
display within the Old PC’S Office, Nairobi’s oldest building.
Attached is a poster for the exhibition:
TO OPEN THE DOCUMENT DOUBLE CLICK ON IT
Elkana and
Expedito poster.pdf
ELKANA ONGESA
,
He hails from a long line of stone sculptors in Kenya, held the opening exhibition at African
Heritage Gallery in 1973 while he was a graduate student at the University of Nairobi. His works
include the towering “Bird of Peace” at the gravesite of former VP Joseph Murumbi at the Nairobi
City Park and the majestic “Dancing Birds” at the entry to the United States Embassy in
Nairobi. Other works are at the United Nations in New York City, in front of the UNESCO
headquarters in Paris, at Coca-Cola in Atlanta and in many other parts of the world.
EXPEDITO MWEBE,
Expedito is a builder, designer, sculptor and artist, famous for works in many parts of East Africa,
including the magnificent façade at the All African Conference of Churches, phenomenal works
at the Don Bosco Catholic Church, at Strathmore University Chapel, and l7 carved wooden panels
in the Bambara Lounge of the Nairobi Serena Hotel and another l7 at the Bambara Lounge of the
Kampala Serena Hotel.
The exhibition is to go up near the end of March
EXHIBITION OF EAST AFRICAN PIONEER ARTISTS IN USA
American University in the USA is planning to open an exhibition in 2016 by Pioneer Artists of
East Africa in Washington DC, USA, which will include works by these two artistic geniuses as
well as four other East African artists who started their careers in Post-Independence Africa.
These include Magdalene Odundo, Francis Nnaggenda, John Odochameny and Sanaa Gateja.
WHAT UNFOLDED OVER THE ONE YEAR!
Many news stories, blogs and articles about the potential destruction of African Heritage House
appeared in international and local media during the time of threat to the house. The links to
those blogs, articles, news stories, etc. are listed below:
https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://wolfganghthome.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/thesurvival-of-the-african-heritage-house-hangs-by-athread/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTE3NTUwNzU5NzQ3MTMwNjU0OTIyGjg0NDVkMjdjM2IxNzRlYWQ6Y29
tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNHuay69UqNKvajc-ety9kyGXDDpAw
http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/dot9/franceschi/-/2274464/2379964/-/view/asBlogPost//72stvqz/-/index.html
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEMQ
FjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeastafrican.co.ke%2Fmagazine%2FAfrican-art--and-culture-atAfrican-Heritage-House-Alan-Donovan%2F-%2F434746%2F2339286%2F-%2F11669ef%2F%2Findex.html&ei=hfitVOXxMsq7UeKKg_AL&usg=AFQjCNF_U8ww0quX_vhP8MnDEuh8bDcl9Q&sig2=n
7ZwYT1AXrlx3QwT0uP08A&bvm=bv.83134100,d.d24
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=13&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CGE
QFjAM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fworld%2Fafrica%2Fla-fg-kenya-donovan-house20140928--story.html&ei=hfitVOXxMsq7UeKKg_AL&usg=AFQjCNHmvEnSOH8YfRGyGoMkZBekmukVw&sig2=4PUkE-gC2VB3KPNDX7nkyA&bvm=bv.83134100,d.d24
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCM
QFjABOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Froadtrippers%2Fafricas-mostphotographed_b_5602328.html&ei=s_qtVN6PC8vrUvyYguAI&usg=AFQjCNEiqVSeDVphf2NfwDOEoiaxkm
gKXw&sig2=boLbIXfi8hWK3AxqoUrHIg&bvm=bv.83134100,d.d24
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=14&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDE
QFjADOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jambonairobi.co.ke%2Fculture%2Fgalleries-museums%2Fafricanheritagehouse%2F&ei=s_qtVN6PC8vrUvyYguAI&usg=AFQjCNHMOVg6IBX5bJNtkVOO2eAwNF5oUg&sig2=wuPlMnWh2rbU0L5JnhtGw&bvm=bv.83134100,d.d24
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=15&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDg
QFjAEOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theeagora.com%2Fsave-the-african-heritagehouse%2F&ei=s_qtVN6PC8vrUvyYguAI&usg=AFQjCNE2pkikCY664pxmJhP-s7uedKZcFA&sig2=iPidbbfnu23MfME1jTfUA&bvm=bv.83134100,d.d24
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=17&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEU
QFjAGOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmobile.nation.co.ke%2Flifestyle%2FWill-they-make-Alan-Donovan-
uproot-this-marvel-to-the-US%2F-%2F1950774%2F2210976%2F-%2Fformat%2Fxhtml%2F%2F2oeivr%2F%2Findex.html&ei=s_qtVN6PC8vrUvyYguAI&usg=AFQjCNFB3uXzzovfYD6PNK6q_hdmOX9Otw&sig2=30d
11uHGeAXkEBk_U-ydyw&bvm=bv.83134100,d.d24
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=23&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCY
QFjACOBQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessdailyafrica.com%2FAfrican-Heritage-House%2F%2F1248928%2F2370948%2F-%2F10h8t7gz%2F%2Findex.html&ei=9vqtVOv8FsiuU7i3gogF&usg=AFQjCNEgNCc6s4TLhPs1PLoRY2BbYzGog&sig2=_oPXdxQMwlCVU-Qdmeeuiw&bvm=bv.83134100,d.d24
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=30&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CFIQ
FjAJOBQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.xinhuanet.com%2Fenglish%2Fphoto%2F201207%2F21%2Fc_131729618.htm&ei=9vqtVOv8FsiuU7i3gogF&usg=AFQjCNHBW1KpGMYDEzN40hIGnbqoz
wuMBQ&sig2=w7QN8vVvec1xoFSdh5TAmA&bvm=bv.83134100,d.d24
THE PETITION
There was also a petition signed by people from all parts of the world to save the house.
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/President_of_Kenya_SAVE_AFRICAN_HERITAGE_HOUSE/?pv=14