Art, Religion, or Heritage? Negotiating Indigenous African Traditions in the Religiously Diverse Context of Coastal Kenya 

Religious Matters teammember Erik Meinema has received a Veni grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). Below is a summary of his project.

Across Africa, Christians and Muslims associate indigenous African traditions with backwardness and witchcraft. This project examines how Giriama people in the coastal region of Kenya protect their indigenous traditions against such criticism. They do so by presenting and categorizing their traditions as art, religion, or heritage. This research project provides insight in the struggles of indigenous voices to find recognition for their traditions in diverse societies today, in which they interact with Christians, Muslims, and (inter)national institutions like UNESCO. 

“Scholars are beginning to explore the relations between art, heritage, and religion in Europe. Far less is known about the global reach of these frames and how people in African societies make these frames their own or challenge them. With this project, I aim to investigate how indigenous groups position themselves in relation to these global frames. What are the opportunities and challenges these frames offer to indigenous groups to claim rights and recognition for their traditions?”