TheMuseumsLab | African-European Cultural Leadership Network

About Us

TheMuseumsLab brings together professionals from museums, heritage spaces, cultural institutions, academia, and public leadership across Africa and Europe. United by a shared commitment to rethinking the role of museums in society, they have developed and sustained a platform dedicated to the next generation of cultural leaders.

Partner Museums Meeting at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

On 19 June 2026, Facilitators and Directors of TheMuseumsLab Partner Museums Network met at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin to discuss the future of the Network and explore new ways to strengthen it.

Fellowship

TheMuseumsLab Fellowship is a unique African–European programme for emerging leaders in museums, heritage and art institutions, and cultural spaces.

Welcoming the Fellows of TheMuseumsLab 2026

The logo for TheMuseumsLab 2026 by Rwandan graphic artist Odile Uwera

Reflecting on Module 2

Our Community

Since 2021, a diverse range of institutions and individuals have actively shaped and contributed to TheMuseumsLab. Through their expertise, creativity, and engagement, they have influenced the programme’s direction, developed innovative projects, and addressed complex cultural issues.

Explore Stories from our Community

Who Is Missing from History? Museums cannot change the past, but they can change who becomes visible within it.
Reflections on Module 2 by Fellow Dr. Samar El Khamisy
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Museum of the Futures
What if a museum could breathe? An essay on imagining museums of the future through memory, imagination, and critical futures thinking by Ouassima Laabich.
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The Architecture of Shared Memory: Reflections on Module 1
Reflections on Module 1 by Mahad Mohamed, Fellow of TheMuseumsLab 2026
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Tracing Aquatic Ecologies in the Okavango Delta | CollabFund
An insight by Atang L.S. Arnold, exploring the interconnected relationship between water, plant life, and survival in the Okavango Delta.
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Community Collaboration and Provenance Research in Tanzania | CollabFund
Video insight by Eliabu Mbonimpa on Tanzanian collections in Slovenia, exploring provenance, community knowledge, and collaboration.
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Keeping Memory Alive: How Museums Help Future Generations Remember What They Never Lived
A reflection on Module 1 of TheMuseumsLab 2026 by Dr. Samar El Khamisy
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Between Communities, Collections, and Memory: Reflections from TheMuseumsLab 2025 by Monicah Nkina Sairo
A reflection that navigates the 'layered lives' of objects, the necessity of slow, negotiated community co-creation, and the resilience found in living history
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Listening to Lisbon: Reflections from a Museum Residency by Kacper Dziekan
A personal sequence of places, encounters, and moments shaped by curiosity, movement, and the experience of seeing Lisbon from within its museum.
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Pangolins and Participation: Turning Museum Visitors into Exhibit Creators | CollabFund
Engaging with the world’s most trafficked mammal through dialogue, co-creation workshops, and exhibition design.
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A Song for TheMuseumsLab by Alioune Samb
"My artistic tribute to this transformative journey and to everyone who made it possible"
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Residency Insights: Connecting Norway, Hungary and Uganda
Follow the experience of two TheMuseumsLab Fellows during their Residency at the Glomdal Museum in Norway, captured in a joint reflection with their host.
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TheMuseumsLab 2025: A Reflection by Co-Curator Abel Assefa
Abel Assefa shares highlights of the 2025 TheMuseumsLab in Addis Ababa, focusing on African-European collaboration, museums, heritage, and leadership.
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Reflections on TheMuseumsLab 2024 by Alumnus Daniel Kumah
Discover a Fellow’s inspiring experience at TheMuseumsLab 2024—exploring restitution, heritage, and global collaboration across Berlin and South Africa.
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