During the mobility of CAPHE Consortium researchers in the fall of 2024 to Kenya, researchers from the Polish Society for Aesthetics, Conservatorio Giacomo Puccini in La Spezia, and the Opera Network conducted the initial talks with the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi for fostering the preservation of cultural heritage in Kenya with the use of the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This topic was later also discussed in depth by Dr. Bogna Gladden-Obidzinska in the series of lectures she conducted in November 2024 at Kenyatta University, giving the discussion with the National Museums of Kenya’s theoretical background.
Apart from the possibility of scanning national monuments with the use of virtual technologies, there is also a space for using 360 video-recording technologies for the sake of preservation and documentation of the natural heritage of Kenya, which has important cultural value.
The important highlight of the talks was on the 31st of October 2024 when the CAPHE team consisting of representatives of the Polish Society for Aesthetics, Conservatorio Giacomo Puccini in La Spezia, and the Opera Network visited the Nairobi National Museums of Kenya focusing on the traditional plants’ preservation and the conservation of knowledge and usage of these plants.
The team recorded the ethnobotanical path in 360 photographs and short videos, discussing the possibility of creating a virtual walk connecting the natural and cultural heritage with technology. These experiences might open doors for further usage of 360 video recordings on natural heritage sites, for example in the kayas, which can serve as both an educational tool and a digital form of preservation.
The visit to the Museum ended with a courtesy call with the Director of National Museums of Kenya, Antiquities, Sites, and Monuments, Dr. Frederick Manthi, and the Administrative Manager, Ms. Joyce Kinyanjui, during which willingness to collaborate on future projects connecting cultural heritage with virtual technologies was expressed. It was later followed by working meetings online that began to develop in more detail possible forms of collaboration.
