Abstract
Archaeology, corroborated by historical records has shown that the Kenyan coast, which is part of the Swahili coast, also referred to as Western Indian Ocean (WIO), was connected to ancient global trade networks. These early overseas contacts are evidenced by references to trading voyages and historic port cities that are dotted at close proximity to this coast. The Arabs for instance, interacted and had a long reign on this coast. Maritime interactions have left material traces of this past, including shipwrecks, historic monuments, cannons and anchors. That Kenya has a rich maritime and underwater cultural heritage (MUCH) is not in doubt. Kenya was the first sub-Saharan country to initiate an underwater archaeological expedition thus legally recognizing the value of underwater cultural heritage. Over the years the country has undertaken underwater archaeological surveys to document and understand the underwater cultural heritage therein. The National Museums of Kenya (NMK) is an internationally reputed heritage institution, which is the designated custodian of Kenya’s cultural heritage. Through this institution the country is putting in place MUCH programmes, including capacity building in the field of underwater archaeology, public awareness and underwater artifact conservation. This chapter examines the current state of MUCH in Kenya and the perspectives as applied and incorporated into the current globalized thinking on maritime and underwater cultural heritage. It discusses the approaches developed by Kenya to address capacity and management needs and the national MUCH narrative within the broader heritage of the ancient Arabian trade routes.
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Bita, C. (2020). The Role of the National Museum in MUCH Management and Regional Capacity Building: Current Research in Kenya. In: Parthesius, R., Sharfman, J. (eds) Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Management on the Historic and Arabian Trade Routes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55837-6_6
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