Si Hene Foundation

One month into the Custodians of Culture Fellowship! From the classroom to J.H Nketia Archives, Public Records and Archives Administration Department, and George Padmore Reference Library, we are beginning to understand that the archive is not neutral. It is shaped by power, access, and care. We are not just learning how to preserve memory, we are learning how to hold it responsibly. This fellowship is supported by the Gwaertler Grant. 🇬🇭✨🇬🇭

Si Hene is proud to introduce the first cohort of our Custodians of Culture Fellowship I: Community Archivist!! They have just completed their first week, an arrival into the work of memory, responsibility, and care. Meet: Christopher Armoh @the.nativeson Denyse Gawu-Mensah @denyse.gm Fadila Yakub Ofori @phady_ophore Peter Edem Kpodo @youexperience_ Adomaa Adusei @_adomaa Elizabeth Johnson @el.tayo_ofosuah Richard Baah Ampadu @rich1zm As they learn what it means to be a Community Archivist, each fellow is beginning to shape an archival practice rooted in community, lived experience, and the stories that must be held. We are also excited to be in collaboration with the National Commission on Culture @officialnccgh , with two fellows in this cohort, Fadila Yakub Ofori and Richard Baah Ampadu, coming from the institution. This fellowship is supported by the Gwaertler Grant. Join us as we follow their journey! ✨🇬🇭✨

March 6, 1957 — a nation was born. 69 years later, the rhythm of freedom still moves through Ghana. 🇬🇭 Footage from @britishpathearchive

During the visit of the Executive Director of Foundations, Ewa Sierżyńska, to Ghana and her meeting with Rita Mawuena Benissan, Founder of Si Hene Foundation, we signed an agreement for the award of a grant by the Philanthropic Consortium Omenaa Foundation to implement ARCHIVE Lab (Access and Repository for Cultural Heritage Information and Visual Exploration). A new space at the Si Hene Center of Culture in Accra • digitisation of 5,000+ archival materials • a multilingual platform (English, Asante Twi, Ewe, Ga) • collaboration with international institutions • training for young archivists • official opening of the lab for the community Podczas wizyty Dyrektorki naszych fundacji, Ewy Sierżyńskiej, w Ghanie i spotkania z Ritą Mawuena Benissan, założycielką Si Hene Foundation, podpisaliśmy umowę o przyznaniu grantu przez Philanthropic Consortium Omenaa Foundation na realizację ARCHIVE Lab (Access and Repository for Cultural Heritage Information and Visual Exploration). Nowa przestrzeń w Si Hene Center of Culture w Akrze • digitalizacja 5 000+ archiwaliów • wielojęzyczna platforma (English, Asante Twi, Ewe, Ga) • współpraca z instytucjami międzynarodowymi • szkolenia dla młodych archiwistów • oficjalne otwarcie laboratorium dla społeczności

Si Hene is excited to launch our first fellowship, the Custodians of Culture Fellowship, inspired by the deep sense of custodianship we witnessed during our Vanishing Past: Community Archiving Workshop. That experience reminded us that memory does not only live in institutions. It lives in people, in homes, in photographs, and in stories passed hand to hand. It asked us to slow down and consider what it truly means to care for something that does not belong to us, but has been entrusted to us. The Custodians of Culture Fellowship is a four month, part time program based in Accra, grounded in ethical archiving, community care, and learning how we read, listen to, and hold our archives. Fellows will work directly with communities to build research based resources that support learning, inherited memory, and new ways of engaging cultural and traditional knowledge. This fellowship is generously supported by the Gwaertler Grant. Applications are now open. Deadline: February 28th, 2026 Link in bio.

One week later, the spirit of Reading Room: Ghana in Portrait is still with us. What unfolded during those four days became more than a workshop, it was a gathering of students, photographers, educators, community members, and cultural leaders, all reflecting on Ghana’s place within the photographic archive. Through guided readings, thoughtful conversations, and moments of quiet discovery, we revisited the works of Paul Strand, Willis Bell, James Barnor, and many others. Each person who entered the space brought their own insight, memory, and curiosity, reminding us of the power of seeing and interpreting our history for ourselves. A heartfelt thank you to Damarice Amao ( @damariceamao ) and Cécile Nedelec ( @rencontresarles ) for their leadership, knowledge, and generosity throughout the workshop. Your presence deeply enriched this first edition. And to the incredible Si Hene team, thank you for your dedication, vision, and hard work. You carried this program with so much intention and made every detail possible. The workshop would not have been possible without the generous support of the James Barnor Foundation (@james_barnor_archives )! We look forward to building on this foundation, growing this community, and welcoming you all again next year!! ✨🇬🇭✨ 🎥: @visioninview #SiHene #ReadingRoom #GhanaAsAPortrait #FramesOfGhana #ArchivingGhana #CulturalHeritage #CommunityArchives #AfricanPhotography #GhanaianPhotography #ArtInGhana #PhotoHistory #LivingArchive #JamesBarnor #PaulStrand #BasilDavidson #WillisBell #GhanaianArt #VisualHeritage #AfricanArchives #CulturalMemory #SiHeneFoundation #custodiansofculture

The first two days of the Reading Room: Ghana in Portrait have been filled with curiosity, wonder, and powerful conversations. From Paul Strand to James Barnor, Willis Bell, and many more, participants rediscovered Ghana’s past through images that continue to speak to our present. Our deepest thanks to the teachers and students of Jack & Jill and the International School of Accra. Seeing students bridge history and memory reminded us why this work matters. The Reading Room opens today at 11am. At 1pm, we will sit down with the selected photographers for Frames of Ghana. And at 4pm, we will gather for Archiving Ghana: In Conversation with Rita Mawuena Benissan, Damarice Amao, and Cécile Nedelec. The workshop runs until tomorrow, Sunday, November 30th (1pm-6pm). Join us and find the page, image, or story waiting for you. We are very thankful to the James Barnor Foundation (@james_barnor_archives ) for their generous support in making this workshop possible. ✨🇬🇭✨ 🎥📸: @visioninview @team1000words

Dzięki pomocy Konsorcjum Filantropijnego @ritamawuena może dzielić się z nami historią niezwykłego miejsca — Centrum Kulturalnego @si.hene , które powstaje w Ghanie dzięki Fundacji Si Hene i współpracy z @gallery1957 . To miejsce to serce naszej tradycji i kultury, gdzie archiwizujemy i chronimy dziedzictwo królestwa Aszanti oraz naszą strukturę wodzowską. 🇬🇭 W Si Hene działamy na trzech filarach: Ochrona — zachowanie historii i kultury Dostępność — udostępnianie jej społeczności i światu Świadomość — promowanie bogactwa kulturowego Ghany Zapraszamy Was do odkrywania tej niezwykłej inicjatywy razem z nami! #KonsorcjumFilantropijne #SiHene #Ghana #Kultura #Dziedzictwo

My heart is full as I reflect on the private opening of my new studio and the introduction of our new @si.hene space during @gallery1957 ’s Cultural Week. 
Guests had the chance to engage with a broader arc of my practice, the umbrellas, tapestries, archival research, while also experiencing the cultural vision and programs we’ll be rolling out at Si Hene in the year ahead. These two spaces sit side by side, each carrying a different purpose yet sharing one mission: to preserve, reimagine, and celebrate our heritage. A heartfelt thank you to @mg.zakhem and Gallery 1957 for believing in this vision and supporting the growth of both my practice and the Si Hene Foundation. Thank you to everyone who joined us in marking this milestone. We can’t wait to open the space to you all. This is only the beginning! 🤍☂️🤍 🎥: @chrisbaiden__ @visioninview

We at Si Hene are excited to welcome you all into our new space! As we reimagine the new space one room at a time, we invite you to join us for our first public program: Reading Room: Ghana in Portrait ✨
 A four-day workshop led by our founder @ritamawuena , Curator and Historian @damariceamao , and @rencontresarles Head of Exhibitions Cécile Nedelec, happening November Thursday 27th – Sunday November 30th, 2025 at the Si Hene Foundation. Together, we’ll explore the works of Paul Strand, Basil Davidson’s Ghana: An African Portrait, Willis Bell, and James Barnor through guided sessions of reading, reflection, and dialogue. By revisiting these works in Ghana today, the workshop seeks to reclaim interpretive authority, asking: How do Ghanaians see themselves in these pages nearly 60 years later? We can’t wait to welcome you all into the Reading Room, a space for reflection, exchange, and discovery. Together, let’s revisit the images and stories that shaped how Ghana was once seen, and begin writing how we see ourselves today. 📩 For any questions, please email [email protected] #SiHene #ReadingRoom #GhanaAsAPortrait #FramesOfGhana #ArchivingGhana #CulturalHeritage #CommunityArchives #AfricanPhotography #GhanaianPhotography #ArtInGhana #PhotoHistory #LivingArchive #JamesBarnor #PaulStrand #BasilDavidson #WillisBell #GhanaianArt #VisualHeritage #AfricanArchives #CulturalMemory #SiHeneFoundation #custodiansofculture

Women dancing before a Chief during a funeral in Cape Coast• ca. 1973 • Photographer: Herbert Cole • The Art of Festival in Ghana @jstor • • • • • • #Sihene #ghana #ghanaians #ghana #Africanart #blackhistory #ghanaindependence#theblackaesthetics #africanstyle #AfricanMuseums #ArchiveLovers #PanAfricanHeritage #MuseumArchives #OpenTheArchive #HistoryUncovered #CulturalGems #InstagramArchives #StoryBehindTheImage #BlackHistoryUnfolded #Afrofutures #GlobalAfrica #AfroHistory #MuseumInspiration #ArchiveLife #StudioPortraits #culturalnarratives

A Chief in his palace courtyard, the cloth that he is wearing is filled with embroidery. • ca. 1921- 1932 • Photographer: Robert Sutherland Rattray • Pitt Rivers Museum and University of Oxford @pittriversmuseum @oxford_uni • • • • • • • #Sihene #ghana #ghanaians #ghana #Africanart #blackhistory #ghanaindependence#theblackaesthetics #africanstyle #AfricanMuseums #ArchiveLovers #PanAfricanHeritage #MuseumArchives #OpenTheArchive #HistoryUncovered #CulturalGems #InstagramArchives #StoryBehindTheImage #BlackHistoryUnfolded #Afrofutures #GlobalAfrica #AfroHistory #MuseumInspiration #ArchiveLife #StudioPortraits #culturalnarratives