£100,000 for Cumbrian Museum to explore links with Kenyan community

Westmorland & Furness Council. [Courtesy]

A two-year project exploring the historic connections between a South Cumbrian museum and a Kenyan community has been approved.

A £100,000 grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund will support the partnership project between Kendal Museum and the Nandi community of western Kenya.

Westmorland and Furness Council’s cabinet approved acting as the accountable body for the funding on Tuesday, October 13.

The authority is not contributing financially to the project, other than some officer time.

The project will be delivered by Cumbria Development Education Centre and the Nandi-Kendal Association, in partnership with the council.

It aims to bring together communities in Cumbria and Kenya to research and interpret the collections connected to their intertwined histories.

The project developed from research undertaken by Dr Joe Rigby, a lecturer in sociology at the University of Chester, which identified links between objects in Kendal Museum’s collection and the Nandi people.

Colonel Edgar Garston Harrison, of Staveley, was a British Army officer who served in Kenya for a decade from 1895. He later funded an extension to Kendal Museum to house his collection of hunting trophies.

Dr Rigby, who grew up in Kendal, said: “I have many fond memories of visiting Kendal Museum as a child. In 2023 I volunteered to help with a reinterpretation project focused on the World Wildlife Gallery collection.

“I decided to focus on the many hunting trophies in the gallery, donated by Col Harrison.

“My research uncovered links between Col Harrison’s collection and an ongoing campaign for reparations by the Nandi community of western Kenya.

“Today, I am working collaboratively with Kendal Museum and Nandi community members in both the UK and Kenya to retell the story of this collection, and to explore the shared history of Kendal and Nandi.”

The project will create opportunities for local communities and members of the Nandi community to work alongside Kendal Museum to explore the stories behind the collections.

Noah Biamah, Nandi-Kendal Association chairman, said: “Nandi and Kendal could be miles apart but share common historical ties, not just from the colonial days when we shared the Union Jack as our flag, a common educational and examination system during Kenya’s formative years and the use of English as official language with a strong Anglican Church tradition.

“Now we are members of the Commonwealth Nations, with a shared interest in agriculture and food production, sports, tourism, environmental conservation and climate change. Our diverse cultures, academia, museums, and pursuit of economic development could be interesting areas of co-operation between Nandi and Westmorland and Furness.”

Kinyango Seroney, a member of the Nandi community living in Coventry and co-ordinator of the Nandi-Kendal Association, added: “For the best part of a century Harrison’s hunting trophies have been on display to the people of Kendal, but without mention of Harrison’s actions against the Nandi.

“After the operation led by Harrison, the Nandi were pushed out of their homelands and suffered great loss and pain. Now we are working together to retell the story of Harrison’s collection, and to further understanding of Kendal and Nandi’s connected histories.”

Councillor Helen Chaffey, Westmorland and Furness Council cabinet member for communities, customer services, culture and communications, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to uncover and share an important story that has largely remained hidden within Kendal Museum’s collections.

“The project is about bringing people together to explore history, build new relationships and ensure that a wider range of voices help shape how our collections are understood and interpreted.

“By working in partnership with the Nandi community and our project partners, we can develop a deeper understanding of our shared heritage while helping Kendal Museum continue to evolve as an inclusive and relevant cultural resource for future generations.”

The project is expected to support cultural exchange opportunities between communities in Cumbria and Kenya, with one idea a Cumbrian fell race attended by members of the Nandi community.