INTEGRATING LOCAL KNOWLEDGE IN ETHIOPIAN ARCHIVES: MUSIC AND MANUSCRIPTS IN THE COLLECTION OF ABDULAHI ALI SHERIF

Abstract

Since the early 1990s, important examples of Harari tangible and oral cultural heritage were preserved in the private home museum of Abdulahi Ali Sherif in Harar, Ethiopia. The volume and quality of audio recordings of musical and ritual practices, along with the manuscripts from this collection indicate how a resourceful individual, when supported by a community of local patrons, can be instrumental in conserving heritage in a local archive, even in the absence of major funding sources. This case study presents a review of Mr. Sherif’s museum collection and explores pertinent challenges in conservation and curatorship of the private holdings. Having followed the transformation of the collection to a public-private partnership, the authors consider the wider implications of collaborations in the management of archives in regional museums in Ethiopia. This research employs examples of various forms of documentation used in the analysis of local Islamic ritual practices to show that local actors are integral to the sustainable management of archives. The collaborations involving the collection of music and manuscripts in the Sherif collection are presented as exemplary of how a community-run museum project can be a particularly appropriate and accessible venue to engage audiences in the legacies found in archives.