National

Kenya to receive funding for preservation of Takwa ruins in Manda Island

Takwa ruins are the remains of a thriving 15th and 16th century Swahili trading town before it was abandoned in the seventeenth century. Photo: National Museums of Kenya

By Mary Wambui | Friday, May 31, 2024

The previously densely populated small town/port flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries when its Swahili inhabitants were engaged in Agriculture and trading activities.

As part of the goodies that stemmed from the recent state visit to the United States, the National Museums of Kenya will receive a grant to help preserve Takwa ruins, a 15th to 16th century Swahili trading town located on the South-East corner of Manda Island in Lamu County.

The Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) will issue the grant whose value is yet to be declared.

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"As part of the shared focus on tourism and cultural heritage, the AFCP will support efforts led by the National Museums of Kenya to preserve the archaeological site of Takwa, a 15th- and 16th-century Swahili trading town."

"AFCP projects help preserve a wide range of cultural heritage – including historic buildings, archaeological sites, ethnographic objects, paintings, manuscripts, and indigenous languages and other forms of traditional cultural expression – and contribute to local economies by supporting tourism," a statement from the US State Department notes.

The previously densely populated small town/port flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries when its Swahili inhabitants were engaged in Agriculture and trading activities.

It was abandoned in the 17th Century due to what is believed to be hostility between the Takwa and Pate people and the depletion of fresh water on the Island that forced its inhabitants to move to the neighbouring Shela Bay.

The old city contains coral stone ruins including a unique mosque with a striking pillar atop the qibla wall. The pillar is believed to symbolise the burial of a Sheikh below the wall.

The ruins are said to serve as turtles' hatching ground, an experience that tourists flock to the area to witness.

The AFCP has since 2001, invested $18.2 million (Sh2.37 billion) in similar preservation efforts across 45 countries within Africa.

Kenya has yet to divulge the project's details, which are estimated to take between 12 and 60 months following the AFCP criteria.

The grant, however, does not cover the preservation of human remains; archaeological excavations, construction of new buildings, or commission of new works of art.

At the same time, beginning in September, a team of television professionals from Kenya and across the continent will visit Los Angeles for a four-week residency at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, where they will be mentored on art direction, cinematography, editing, and line producing by American television writers, producers, and industry experts.

As part of the American Film Showcase (AFS) program, the Film and TV Leadership Initiative will bring Kenyan and other African filmmakers to the United States for workshops and networking with their American counterparts, including at the 2024 Middleburg Film Festival in Middleburg, VA.

The State Department through this programme will send leading film and television professionals like Tyler Perry to conduct workshops in Kenya as a reciprocal exchange.

Kenyan musicians will also participate in the first-ever American Music Mentorship Program (AMMP), which connects international mid-career music industry professionals with mentors selected by the Recording Academy.