This poem entitled “Tuzithamini turathi” (“Let Us Value Cultural Heritage”) was composed by Ustadh Mahmoud Ahmad Abdulqadir Mau in regard to the mikeka collection in Berlin. It was presented at the Talking Mats workshop in Lamu, September 2024, where original size prints of the collection were presented for the first time. The poem lauds Swahili handmade artefacts such as mikeka and argues that the historical mikeka’s existence today, is owing to their 19th century translocation to Europe.
Poem: Mahmoud Ahmad Abdulqadir Mau
Voice, Recording: Assad Ahmad Muhamad
Image credits: Antje Förstle, Jasmin Mahazi, Lamu Museums and Heritage Sites (National Museums of Kenya), Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum and Museum für Asiatische Kunst / Martin Franken
Video editing: Rebeca Ofek