If you want to understand TODAY, You have to search YESTERDAY

Abdikadir Kurewa, a curator at desert museum in Loiyagalani, Turkana on July 17, 2015. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE

What you need to know:

  • Sibiloi is a unique archaeological park, where proof of human origin dating back  four million years ago was discovered. That is why it is  referred to as the cradle of humankind.
  • I studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree in social science at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. I majored in sociology and minored in anthropology. It would have made more sense to major in the latter, but the curriculum did not give me this option.
  • To study for this degree, you need to have performed well in either English or Kiswahili. A good performance in one of the sciences is also considered. You should have also passed in either History, Geography or religious education.

My Bio 

Name: Abdikadir Kurewa

Age: 26

Course: Bachelor of Arts in Social Science and a diploma in paleoanthropology.

University: Catholic University of Eastern Africa and the Origins Field School program directed by the Stony Brook University, New York, and the Turkana Base Institute in Kenya. 

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Have you ever met a curator? No? Now you have.

Abdikadir Kurewa, 26, is a curator at the Desert Museum in Loiyangalani in Marsabit County.

Marsabit County is home to 13 ethnic communities, including the  El Molo and Dassanatch. The El Molo are Kenya’s smallest tribe and still hold fiercely to their ancient cultures and traditions.

“We all get to a point where we ask ourselves what we want to do with our lives. After pondering this question for a while, I decided that I would take a course that would give me the skills to help my community to protect their unique culture and way of life – that is what led me here.” 

What does it take to become a curator?

I studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree in social science at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. I majored in sociology and minored in anthropology. It would have made more sense to major in the latter, but the curriculum did not give me this option.

During my second year at the University, I was awarded a scholarship to study at the International Koobi Fora Summer Field School, jointly run by the State University of Rutgers, and the National Museums of Kenya. The programme was based at the Sibiloi National Park on the shores or Lake Turkana, a world heritage site famous for its unique paleontological and archaeological finds. The course lasted just six weeks, but it  was intensive, priceless even, because I got to learn first-hand from experts in this field.

After graduation, I worked as a community worker with the Friends of Lake Turkana for two years before I joined the National Museums of Kenya as a curator. I was based at the Koobi Fora Museum and Prehistoric Sites. I was delighted when I was posted to Koobi Fora Museum,  established in the Sibiloi National Park by Dr Richard Leakey.

Sibiloi is a unique archaeological park, where proof of human origin dating back  four million years ago was discovered. That is why it is  referred to as the cradle of humankind.

I will always be grateful to the National Museum of Kenya staff, especially Dr Purity Kiura and Prof Jack Harris, who introduced me to the hands-on practical training required in this field.

I have also been fortunate to study at the Origins Field School, run by well-known conservationist Dr Richard Leakey, to whom I am also greatly indebted. I got invaluable experience with regard to the dynamics of geology, archaeology, ecology ethnography, and paleontology, which are basically the different scientific fields of study, used to uncover the mysteries of pre-historic remains.

After a year at Koobi Fora Sibiloi Museum, I felt  it was time to move on, convinced that by so doing, I would expand my knowledge. Another motivating factor was that this area is far from civilisation, so mobile phones rarely work, while the Internet is unheard of. As a young man, I found the isolation unbearable.

My next station was the Desert Museum in Loiyangalani, a small village where I was born and raised. It is the only museum in the larger Marsabit County and, therefore, provides a very important space for showcasing the diverse cultures of the 13  ethnic communities that call this area home.

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SO, YOU WANT TO BECOME A CURATOR?

If you choose to study for the course in local institutions, you will first have to study anthropology, and then study various curatorial courses to sharpen the skills and knowledge you already have.

The only universities offering a bachelor’s degree in anthropology are University of Nairobi, Catholic University of Eastern Africa and Maseno University, though Maseno offers it combined with sociology.

Only Moi University offers a Master of Arts degree in anthropology.

To study for this degree, you need to have performed well in either English or Kiswahili. A good performance in one of the sciences is also considered. You should have also passed in either History, Geography or religious education.

Should you choose to study abroad, consider universities in South Africa, the US, and Europe.

Books that make an impact on me:

I find myself revisiting a book by Monty Brown, Where Giants Trod: The Saga of Kenya’s Desert Lake.

It is a book that talks about the experiences of the first explorers of Lake Turkana, which is believed to be the cradle of man. I like this book because the style of writing gives emphasis on the daring achievements of the pioneers who visited the land which was at that time largely unknown to many.

I also download many papers on anthropological research in Kenya from the internet - in my work, I am required to keep abreast with new discoveries and other related information, such as what researches in this field are currently studying and when the findings are expected to be announced - the information we give the visitors to our museums need to be factual and updated. 

- Maryanne Gicobi

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CAREER METRICS

DANIEL ARAP MITEI, CHIEF CURATOR, NATIONAL MUSEUMS OF KENYA, KISUMU 

Q: Where else can a curator work apart from a museum?

A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator, who is generally a keeper of a cultural heritage institution, is a specialist who looks after an institution’s collections, besides interpreting the heritage material housed there.

With emerging trends in museology, technological advancement and the necessity for conservation, the work of a curator has gone beyond the borders of heritage institutions. Curators can now work in academic institutions, government agencies, research organisations, community-based organisations, and in organisations involved in product development. 

Q: Do you think it is a course worth pursuing?

Of course, and not just because I am a curator. This is an interesting and exciting field of study, and never monotonous. Also, you get a chance to sharpen your skills and knowledge every day. To make an impact, however, it is important to train in one specific area before taking curatorial lessons in areas such as conservation, interpretation, display, text and label-writing, among others. 

Q: Is the course lucrative?

It depends on your definition of lucrative. For me, as long as the end result of my work benefits humanity, then my job is profitable. That said, curators might  not be paid much in terms of money, but the knowledge acquired in this profession is priceless. We also have enviable worldwide networking, and we get to travel a lot.

 

 

THIS DISCOVERY CHANGES WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN

What is your day at work like?

I use a motorbike provided by my employer to get to work every morning. I work from 8am to 5pm. Part of my job involves ensuring that the artefacts on display are well preserved. I also help with  interpretation and designing  exhibitions.

I also guide tourists around the museum and  explain to them the various aspects of the diverse ethnic cultures and ways of life here. I am sometimes called upon to give public lectures, the most recent being during the Marsabit-Lake Turkana Festival  last month. It focused on the ethnic characteristics of the 13 communities of northern Kenya. The three-day event brings together the 13 communities, their cultures, foods and ideologies. It was a chance for us to show the world that, even though we come from different parts of the country, we have many similarities. 

If he did it, so can I

I look up to the Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture the Arts, Dr Hassan Wario, a curator by profession. He was a keeper of anthropology at the Horniman Museum in London, the first black person to hold that position. 

It is fulfilling?

This job is more passion than money-driven because the pay is not much, although that is bound to change as you rise up the ranks. There is room for growth in this career. To begin with, it is not a popular course, so jobs are not hard to come by – at least that has been my experience. 

My future is bright

I plan to further my studies in anthropology. My goal to set up a research institute that will focus on documenting and preserving the rich cultures of the Northern people of Kenya, especially the El Molo, who are in danger of becoming extinct. 

Who were the first humans? What is it that clearly marks out man from other creatures? These questions became more difficult to answer after a fossil find in Turkana, in May last year.

This recent discovery of stone tools greatly improved the understanding of ancient apes and their abilities. For many years, it was assumed that tool-making was a behaviour unique to the genus Homo. We of the order Primates and genus Hominidae were unique in this regard, and this was one of the ways we explained our dominance. Our gait, our stance, our large brains and our opposable thumbs enabled us to make tools, or so the story went.

This recent find changed this narrative. The Homo genus came about 2.5 million years ago while the tools date back to 3.3 million years. They were deliberately fashioned using stones to chip flakes off the edges, a decision that shows a level of mental deliberation. It means that the apes that preceded us had the same abilities we cherish. Our family has got larger and our ability to see ourselves as unique has fallen a notch.

- Waga Odongo