Curating Kisumu: Adapting Mobile Humanities Interpretation in East Africa

FAIN: HD-51912-14

Cleveland State University (Cleveland, OH 44115-2214)
J. Mark Souther (Project Director: September 2013 to March 2016)
Meshack Owino (Co Project Director: September 2013 to March 2016)

A collaborative venture between Cleveland State University's Center for Public History + Digital Humanities and Maseno University in Kenya to explore how to use the Curatescape mobile framework, which allows for mobile interpretation of historical and cultural sites, in Kenya.

The Center for Public History + Digital Humanities (CPHDH) at Cleveland State University and Maseno University in Kenya seek NEH Level II Start-Up funding for Curating Kisumu to extend best practices for mobile interpretation to the developing world. CPHDH will explore how to use the Curatescape mobile interpretive framework to facilitate interchange between the humanities and pressing needs in East Africa. Faculty and students on both sides of the Atlantic will conduct collaborative research. Our team will also explore how to modify Curatescape to enable bilingual user inputs on the administrative backend and to allow the richest possible experience for users who use still-prevalent feature phones. Our team will develop an educational exchange to create content; develop, implement, and test an app that we adapt thoughtfully to local needs and technical constraints; and collaboratively identify a set of recommendations for overcoming barriers to mobile curation in Africa.

Associated Products

Local as Global (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Local as Global
Author: J. Mark Souther
Abstract: MW2015 Professional Forum 9 (Got Tech? How Small-town Museums and Historical Societies Can Go Digital) explores local, place-based digital projects within state, national, and global frameworks. Community pillars and repositories of history and memory, many museums are struggling the face of an ever evolving technological landscape. Consultants for local museums have commented that small museums “lack all of the new technology platforms” and as a result these museums will “most likely fall further behind the industry and become less relevant to the intended audience.” By looking at recent digital initiatives from across the country, this panel highlights ways in which museums can use this opportunity to not only jump on the digital bandwagon, but also reach a new and larger audience. The Smithsonian Institution, the Center for Public History + Digital Humanities, and the Florida Humanities Council are a few of the national and statewide institutions that are partnering with small town museums and historic sites through new digital initiatives. We discuss twenty-first century solutions for museums and historic sites by examining interactive experiences that explore how we can leverage current collections/resources and thus highlight the pivotal role these institutions can play within the larger community. J. Mark Souther's presentation, "Local as Global," introduces the NEH-funded digital humanities project "Curating Kisumu" and draws preliminary lessons for small museums from his experience leading a mobile app development project in collaboration with a university in Kenya.
Date: 04/10/2015
Primary URL: http://mw2015.museumsandtheweb.com/proposal/defying-obsolescence-revitalizing-small-town-museums-and-historic-sites-through-digital-initiatives/
Primary URL Description: Session description
Conference Name: Museums and the Web

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