Chao Tayiana Maina

“Technology can either be used to further these narratives by replicating them online and entrenching them further in digital spaces; or we have an opportunity to push back against these narratives, refuse them, change them, and actively imagine other alternatives to our heritage and history.”

“Digital heritage is not just a matter of digital access, it is a matter of digital representation, of digital equality online. It’s a matter of access to narratives that represent you. It’s a matter of artificial intelligence, having data sets that are not inherently white and inherently biased.”

“Digital Heritage (DH) gives us the means to translate history into mediums and languages that history has not been interpreted before. DH can translate information for different audiences, particularly those who have either been left out of the historical narrative or those never given the agency to define their histories.”

“For me, history is both a restorative and revolutionary act. A communion with my ancestors and a constant dialogue with the realities of my present. I believe that the work of technology is not just to build futures, but to help us radically re-imagine, redefine and restore African pasts.”