Martha Kazungu

Kazungu, Martha
Martha Kazungu, Founding Director, Njabala Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya.

Conference Report. December 2024

The 2024 CIMAM Annual Conference in Los Angeles proved to be an enriching experience, offering valuable insights into contemporary challenges and emerging trends within the international museum field. The diverse program, encompassing lectures, exhibitions, and networking opportunities, provided a stimulating platform for dialogue and exchange.

Mark Bradford's keynote address on collaboration resonated deeply. He outlined a path towards more impactful social and educational programming, emphasizing the need to move beyond traditional models and foster genuine, sustained partnerships with communities. Bradford's focus on mutual benefits and long-term commitment challenged my own approach to collaboration, inspiring me to reconsider my practices at the Njabala Foundation.

Zita Cobb's keynote on "The Possibility of a Place" was equally impactful, highlighting the multifaceted nature of space and the importance of considering environmental sustainability, community well-being, and ethical practices in all our endeavors. Cobb's presentation, drawing on the inspiring example of Shorefast, a community-driven organization in Newfoundland, provided valuable lessons for the Njabala Foundation, particularly in terms of fostering sustainable and place-based initiatives.

The opportunity to encounter Simone Leigh's work in person was a highlight of the conference. Her powerful sculptures, on display at both CAAM and LACMA, offered a compelling exploration of Black womanhood, drawing upon African art and architecture. The materiality of her work, such as the raffia and cowrie shells in "Cupboard 2022," resonated deeply, evoking a sense of history, cultural identity, and the resilience of marginalized communities.

The conference underscored the vital role museums play in addressing global challenges such as climate change, promoting social justice, and fostering intercultural understanding. It emphasized the importance of collaboration, innovation, and community engagement in navigating the complexities of the 21st century.

However, the conference also highlighted a significant gap: the underrepresentation of perspectives from the Global South, particularly Africa. With the exception of Ibrahim Mahama's presentation, voices from Africa were largely absent, creating an imbalance in the discourse. This experience underscored the stark realities of global inequality and prompted me to reflect on how the Njabala Foundation, a small, emerging organization, can navigate this challenging landscape and secure the resources necessary to fulfill its mission.

Moving forward, I am committed to translating the insights gained from this conference into my work at the Njabala Foundation. This includes exploring new collaborative partnerships, integrating sustainability considerations into our programming, and developing strategies to address the challenges of operating within a globally unequal system.


Biography

Martha Kazungu (b. 1993) is an Ugandan curator and art historian. She holds a Master of Arts degree in African Visual and Verbal Art with a focus on curating and media in Africa from the University of Bayreuth in Germany. She is an alumnus of the Makerere University, TheMuseumsLab, Independent Curators International (ICI), Àsìkò School, C& and AtWork.

Currently, Martha serves as Founding Director of Njabala Foundation, a not-for-profit organization promoting visibility for women artists through exhibitions, research, mentorship, and community engagement. At Njabala Foundation, she organizes three thematic annual exhibitions as well as embarked on a research project on African women artists from the 1960s.

As a researcher on African Art History and the Formation of a Modern Aesthetic, she engaged with and researched on the African art collections in the World Culture Museum in Frankfurt and the Iwalewahaus in Bayreuth, Germany. She coordinated Art History Re-written: Contributing to the History of Post-colonial Modernism symposium at the Uganda national museum.

As an Assistant Curator at the MARKK Museum in Hamburg, Martha engaged the institution’s African collection. Notably, she co-curated the Archive of Experiences exhibition, as part of the 8th Triennial of photography in Hamburg, featuring works from the institution's photographic collection as well as the work of Ghanaian artist Kelvin Haizel. The exhibition was accompanied by a catalog that she co-edited.

Martha recently worked with the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (Federal German Cultural Foundation) as a co-curator of the TURN2 Labs in Nairobi, Dakar and Tunis each consisting of 30 experts from the cultural scenes in Africa and Europe. She co-edited the publication on the Labs which was published in 2024.

Other roles include serving on the scholarly advisory committee for the Empowerment exhibition at the KunstMuseum Wolfsburg and on the selection committee for the Henrike Grohs Art Award. She has contributed to several publications in Africa, Europe and the USA.

Martha Kazungu, Founding Director, Njabala Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya, has been awarded by Mercedes Vilardell, London/Mallorca.