International Journal of Education & the Arts

Citation: Baker, K. (2023). Visualizing peace museums: A historical reflection and culture-based exploration. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 24(si1.6). http://doi.org/10.26209/ijea24si1.6

This article explores peace museums, a unique and under-reported genre of museums, discusses the history of peace museums in Europe, identifies common themes of peace museums globally, and focuses on the emergence of culture-based peace museums in Eastern Africa. The aim is to understand how Kenyan ethnographer Sultan Somjee founded 23 Africanized peace museums and the Community Peace Museums Heritage Foundation (CPMHF) based on the African humanist philosophy of Utu. Even though Somjee and the CPMHF curators offer a relevant approach to peace museum work, they have not received adequate attention or study in their own right. By distilling their 26 years of research and experience, this investigation examines and critically reflects upon the ways Somjee and the CPMHF act as peace activists, and agents of change by promoting Utu values to create lasting social cohesion, resolving conflicts, and fostering reconciliation. This article offers museum educators an alternative approach to peace museum best practices by illustrating how they draw on the peace heritage traditions and knowledge of Indigenous cultures to act as peacemakers in a modern world.