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The Future of Nairobi Railway Museum: Education & Decolonisation in the Digital Age

How can culturally conscious Nairobians perspectives uproot, re-claim and profess ownership of memory, identity and knowledge in the places they inhabit?

The research focus is on the 1950 to 1970 period Nairobi African railroad workers, the generation that resided in the city, together with their families. Urban working-class groups’ everyday lives were moulded around the material construct of the railroad.

 

Their experiences, the events and trends surrounding them form rich collections, which are attributed to their urban heritage. To date the families are still in possession of accessible recollections and personal memorabilia that is suitable for immersive development of heritage narratives central to the study.

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Exhibit+Display

Collecting images extends to the space in which they will be displayed. Sensory experiences possessing sound and video in order to capture the essence of the everyday lives of Railway workers. A collection strategy plan for this area of focus is to create, preserve and materials from retired railway workers' memories and archives. How will I display the video footage, photographic, textual memoirs, photographs, journals and scrapbooks of biographical accounts of lived experiences?

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Moodboard

Uniform, Significance+Identity

This is largely informed by the fact that the military as an institution has a distinct culture that draws on symbols, which include dress and corporate culture, and relies on separation, evident in the distinction between ranks and adifference between disciplined forces and civilians anchored in their military training. These distinctions are important to the military’s functioning. Daily military interaction is expressed, facilitated and regulated by symbols of the military culture. Examples include saluting as a gesture of respect and submission to military discipline, while uniforms act as symbols for identification and status amongst military personnel.  

 

Okech, Awino (2019). Gender and state-building conversations: the discursive production of gender identity in Kenya and Rwanda. Conflict, Security & Development, DOI:10.1080/14678802.2019.1609762

REFERENCE: Anderson & Sheppard Bespoke Savile Row Tailors - Our Process: What to Expect on Your First Fitting

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Portal

/ˈpɔːtl/

noun

a doorway, gate, or other entrance, especially a large and imposing one.

Space

Physical+Virtual

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