We are happy to share that TraciKwai’s Fisher Child VR Experience, one of the 75 projects funded by our Small Grants for Africa, an initiative generously supported by the Mellon Foundation, had its official launch on June 21st.

Project Fisher Child is a multidisciplinary storytelling experience that weaves together VR, AR, and QR technologies. Each element offers a unique narrative that intersects and overlaps with the others, creating a rich, immersive journey. Whether you are engaging on-site or from wherever you are, the stories remain accessible and impactful.

The launch event was a great success and was attended by 100 people who gathered at the small community hall in Kalk Bay.The guests came from both the local fishing community and the wider Cape Town area and queued in front of each of the two-by-two marked out squares, patiently waiting for their turn to experience the Virtual Reality, Living Museum of stories and images housed inside a 3D world; a repository of archival material including images, old photographs and the ancient sound of the Poedjies unique to the area.

A multi-sensory experience of sight and sound combined with the flavours and aromas of fresh indigenous food:  “viskop sop”, smoor snoek en gebakte brood (fish head soup, fish stew and freshly baked bread) topped with home made preserves and spicy tea.

Community members were brought to tears as they heard the voices of old friends and family members who were no longer there and young voices gave them a sense of hope and pride and belonging.

The VR experience made them feel as though they were immersed under the sea and created feelings of nostalgia and they were able to share those memories with us after.

Age was no barrier. This experience was enjoyed by five year olds and eighty five year olds alike.

The Augmented Reality Museum Jars were also a big success, with quite a few sold on the day. Participants were so engrossed in the experience that many needed gentle encouragement to exit!

All in all a very successful community event!

Experience some of the exhibits yourself here.

On 25 June 2025, the Africa Grants Team hosted the third online networking convening for the 2024 grantees. 65 people attended, including the grantees, HERITAGE staff, Regranting Committee members, and representatives from the Mellon Foundation and other African donors.

HERITAGE’s Richard A. Brown opened the session with a warm welcome, followed by Dimitra Gialesa of the Network Convening Taskforce, who thanked attendees and introduced the agenda. In this convening, twelve grantees presented their projects. The projects showcased a wide range of heritage work across Africa, including efforts to revitalise historic sites in Tanzania, promote cultural heritage in Cameroon, empower refugee women in Uganda, and build heritage museums in The Gambia.*

Following presentations, participants joined six breakout rooms organised by project type and facilitated by HERITAGE staff. These smaller groups encouraged peer discussions on common challenges and potential collaborations, with one member of the Grants Committee joining each. Discussions ranged from capacity building and craft training, restoration and documentation, to infrastructure support and heritage tourism.  Encouragingly, connections were made that may lead to future collaborations.

Overall, the convening reinforced the value of these gatherings as platforms for connection and shared learning, while also highlighting challenges in participation. The team plans to maintain thematic breakout groups and encourage more focused discussions on challenges and collaboration in future convenings.

*Kelvin Fella  Tanzania: ‘Improving Community Wellbeing to Rescue Bagamoyo Old
Stone Town’
Nfor Blessing Mbontu Cameroon: ‘’Smart Sacred Forests Reforestation Project’
James Agbor Ayamba Cameroon: ‘Protecting Heritage Through Promoting Culture’
Margaret Dear Kasande Uganda: ‘Supporting women and refugees in the Rwenzoris to
acquire skills and earn income from traditional basket weaving’
Hassoum Ceesay The Gambia: ‘Fort Bullen Revitalization’ (presentation delivered by
the manager Mamat Sallah)
Habab Idriss Ahmed Idriss  Sudan: ‘Documentation and Protection of Hillat Dongola’
Elhadj Ould Brahim Mauritania: ‘Preserving Haratin Bondja and Medh Musical
Traditions (first stage: Adrar Region, Mauritania)’
Nfamara Tamba The Gambia: ‘’Kubuneh-Galloya Heritage Trail (The Gambia)’
(presentation delivered by Dimitra Gialesa at the end because Nfamara was facing
internet connection issues through the meeting and he was disconnecting regularly)
Sanya Gilbert Lesotho: ‘Empowering Communities: Sustainable Tourism, Heritage
Preservation and Economic Empowerment Project at Kome Caves’
Anaclet Karangwa Rwanda: ‘The Development of Imanzi Heritage Village’
Hewan Goitom Berhane Ethiopia: ‘Addis Ababa Heritage Buildings Photogrammetry
Documentation Training and Exhibition’
Bala Saho The Gambia: ‘Building A Heritage Museum and Training on the Collection
and Management of Artifacts and Oral Traditions’

 

On 30th April, our Africa Grants Team hosted the Second Networking Convening for recipients of our Small Grants for Africa, bringing together over 60 participants from across Africa for a virtual session. Our small grants initiative is made possible with the support of the Mellon Foundation.

The event featured grantees, HERITΛGE staff, members of the Re-granting Committee, and representatives from several foundations, including the Mellon Foundation, ALIPH Foundation, Arcadia Fund, DRK Foundation, and Kaplan Foundation. 12 grantees presented  projects from Algeria, Eswatini, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. They showcased a broad range of community-driven heritage work, from the restoration of Keana Salt Village in Nigeria to the conservation of rock paintings in Uganda.

“ Heritage and culture are so important in many different ways in addressing social issues, economic issues and environmental issues”

Justin Garrett Moore, Director, Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place Program 

After the presentations, Justin Garrett Moore from the Mellon Foundation highlighted the significant role that heritage plays in addressing various societal challenges. “We’ve supported this work because heritage and culture are so important in many different ways in addressing social issues, economic issues,  and environmental issues. And I think all of the work you’ve shared here today has been showing jus the power  that work has,” he told attendees./

The convening concluded with a breakout session, where participants were divided into smaller groups to discuss their projects more informally. It was also a great opportunity for participants to network with each other and promoted collaborations between individuals and groups.

This was the second out of six planned events aimed at showcasing projects funded through our Small Grants for African Heritage Projects initiative, made possible through generous funding by the Mellon Foundation. 75 projects have received around $1million in funding. You can read more about the specific projects on our Africa Grants page which is continually being updated.

 

 

“It is important to have capacity building, to have knowledge sharing, to have networks to increase solidarity in what is very challenging work.”

Justin Garrett Moore, Director, Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place Program 

Last month, we held our first Online Networking Convening of the 2024 Africa Grants Programme. The meeting, which was attended by representatives from 49 organisations, was a fantastic opportunity for grant recipients to share the successes of their projects with other grantees. It was also a chance to celebrate the projects and thank everyone involved including representatives from the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place Program and the Re-granting Committee members. 

Richard Brown opened the meeting by outlining the positive impact of the Africa Grants Programme which has provided over $1,000,000 to 75 organisations in 32 countries across Africa. HERITAGE Director, Evangelos Kyriakidis, then emphasised the importance of the meeting itself as an opportunity for grantees to learn from other heritage professionals across the continent to build a stronger heritage sector saying “it is the only continent where there is such enormous diversity and wealth of heritage alive”. 

This diversity was emphasised in the following presentations where 12 organisations outlined what each grant had been used to fund. These projects included tangible and intangible heritage, natural and built, covered a range of cultures, varying religions and spanned eight different countries including Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda, Zimbabwe and South Africa.* You can read more about the specific projects on our Africa Grants page, but it was a great opportunity to hear directly from the teams who have worked so diligently to champion their heritage. We look forward to hearing from more organisations in the following meetings!

*The 12 projects presented at the first meeting included: 

Mahmoud Malik Saako | Ghana: ‘Islamic Heritage in northern Ghana’

Vitalice Ochieng | Kenya: ‘Cultural Heritage Promotion and Conservation of the Kaya Forests, Kenya’

Chifundo Dalireni | Malawi: ‘Protecting Chongoni heritage sites through community participation and effective governance’

Getinet Fetene Engida | Ethiopia: ‘Protecting Heritages in monasteries of UNESCO Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve’

William Mutta Tsaka | Kenya: ‘Restoration Work and Museum Establishment at Masee House in Kenya’

Moses Mkumpha | Malawi: ‘Restoration of Anti-Slave trade buildings and opening of Museums’

Daniel Ishaya Mwada | Nigeria: ‘Rehabilitation of Rabih’s Fort, Dikwa National Monument’

Kamya Stephen Kyobe | Uganda: ‘Uganda bark cloth revitalization Consortium; promoting communal Conservation / protection’

Eunitah Viriri | Zimbabwe: ‘Towards the Preservation and Promotion of Matendere Ruins in Zimbabwe’

Didas Mzirai | Kenya: ‘Bustani Resort – The Taveta Cultural and Agro-Ecotourism Center’

Njung Gislane Bih | Nigeria: ‘Solarization of National Museum Onikan (Lagos)’ (presentation  delivered by her partner Tolulope Falola)

Tracey Viljoen | South Africa: ‘The Fisher Child and other stories. Sites of memory project’

HERITΛGE is very pleased to announce another 26 recipients of our HerMaP Africa small grants for organizations, groups, and individuals working with heritage in Africa. The small grants initiative is generously supported by the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place program.

In this second round of the program, over $333,000 has been awarded to projects that focus on the protection and promotion of local cultural and natural heritage and aim to contribute to the socio-economic development of local communities and beyond. HERITΛGE disbursed over $220,000 to 19 heritage projects in the first round of the small grants initiative earlier this year.  By the end of 2024, a total of $1 million will have been awarded in small grants to African heritage projects.

“We are extremely pleased to announce this second round of small grant awards for African projects. We are already seeing what the scheme is doing to unlock the potential of heritage in Africa and make a difference for the development of local communities through the work undertaken by the first 19 grantees,” said HERITΛGE Director, Dr. Evangelos Kyriakidis. “Heritage has the ability to empower and we are already seeing local communities using our grants,  in partnership with local organizations, to support sustainable development and safeguard local heritage for generations to come.”

The list of newly approved grants includes heritage projects from Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.

To receive a small grant from the HerMaP Africa program, applicants have to demonstrate that their project has a lasting impact, develops capacity, builds networks, strengthens local skills, and has a strong, measurable impact for the protection of heritage and the benefit of local people.

A full list of the projects that have been awarded small grants can be found here.

Applications are still being accepted for the next round of small grants for heritage projects. To find out more and apply, visit our website: https://heritagemanagement.org/

About HerMaP-Africa: Made possible by a $5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place program, HerMaP Africa aims to strengthen HERITΛGE’s Africa programs, fund initiatives that link heritage with socio-economic impact, develop the capacity of local organizations, and help them preserve African heritage and culture.

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the largest supporter of the arts and humanities in the United States. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through its grants, it seeks to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org

 

As the world celebrates African Heritage Day on May 5th, we highlight our initiatives aimed at conserving, preserving, and promoting Africa’s diverse cultural legacy. The Heritage Management Organization (HERITΛGE), in collaboration with the Mellon Foundation and the European Union, stands at the forefront of conservation and community engagement, catalyzing efforts to safeguard and celebrate Africa’s invaluable natural and cultural heritage. Here are three important ways HERITΛGE is currently contributing to the preservation and promotion of African Heritage

1. HerMaP Africa: HERITΛGE, in partnership with the Mellon Foundation, has embarked on a mission to fortify its country-specific programs across the African continent. A substantial $5 million grant, with support from the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place program, has been instrumental in empowering local organizations and enhancing their capacity to preserve heritage and culture. Notably, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Rwanda, among other regions, benefit from this collaborative effort through initiatives like HERITΛGE’s HerMaP Gambia program. This funding injection includes $1 million allocated for small grants to African organizations and a $450,000 fellowship program aimed at nurturing heritage leaders. Such initiatives not only safeguard Africa’s cultural treasures but also foster socio-economic development, ensuring that heritage remains a vibrant force for progress.

2. Africa Grants Program: HERITΛGE is proud to announce the launch of its Africa Grants Program, designed to support grassroots heritage projects across the continent. Ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, these small grants target organizations, groups, and individuals committed to preserving and promoting local heritage for socio-economic development. This initiative, part of the broader HerMaP-Africa project, is made possible through the generous backing of the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place program. We have already allocated the first 19 grants and are on track to announce at least 30 more by the end of 2024. By empowering local stakeholders and fostering community-led initiatives, the Africa Small Grants Program not only safeguards Africa’s cultural tapestry but also nurtures its potential as a driver of sustainable development.

3. HerMaP Gambia: In a groundbreaking collaboration co-funded by the European Union, HERITΛGE spearheads the HerMaP Gambia initiative, aimed at elevating the cultural and creative industries within The Gambia. Since its inception in 2020, HerMaP Gambia has served as a beacon of progress, harnessing the power of culture to catalyze social and economic advancement.  At its core, HerMaP Gambia seeks to enrich the understanding and appreciation of Gambian cultural heritage while enhancing the capacity of key stakeholders in the cultural sector. By nurturing the management and appreciation of Gambian cultural heritage, this initiative paves the way for sustainable socio-economic growth, creating avenues for job creation and community development.

As we commemorate African Heritage Day, let us recognize the tireless efforts of local communities in Africa and their supporters to steward and harness the continent’s amazing heritage. Through collaborative initiatives, targeted grants, and visionary programs, cultural treasures are safeguarded and their potential is unlocked to catalyze progress and prosperity across the African continent. Together, let us celebrate and protect the invaluable legacy of Africa’s diverse heritage for generations to come.