A POINT OF VIEW FROM IFAN-UCAD, SENEGAL
PROJECT CO-INVESTIGATOR, PROFESSOR IBRAHIMA THIAW, AND MAEASaM’s SENEGAL RESEARCHERS AT OUR PARTNER INSTITUTION IFAN, UNIVERSITY OF CHEIKH ANTA DIOP IN DAKAR, REFLECT ON THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN SENEGAL AND THE ROLE OF DIGITISATION IN OPENING THE DIALOGUE FOR DEMOCRATISATION OF SCIENCE, ARCHAEOLOGICAL KNOWELEDGE, AND RESTITUTION.
The Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire (IFAN) is a pioneer in the field of research in Francophone West Africa. It has had many and diverse collections at its disposal, particularly in archaeology, botany, terrestrial and marine biology, geology, and ethnographic archives, as well as a remarkable network of laboratories and museums across different territories.
The current IFAN is a direct descendant of the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire, which was established in 1936 by the colonial power to provide a well-informed research structure that would serve the purposes of colonial governance. In common with other institutions in Africa, IFAN’s immense collections of artefacts were acquired in fundamentally problematic and unethical ways that dispossessed African populations of their cultural and natural assets. The colonial scientific legacy is still embedded in contemporary practices, not least in structural problems of research and in the management of sites, monuments, and archaeological collections.
In 1941, IFAN’s Archaeology Laboratory was established and brought together important collections that now constitute essential archives, particularly for sites that have disappeared due to urbanisation and other factors. These archives have contributed to the Laboratory becoming a focal point for research and conservation, nationally and internationally. In addition, the past two decades have seen Senegalese national inventories and archaeological excavations multiply greatly, leading to a very rapid renewal of collections. With the flowering of new universities across the country during this period, the needs for access to archaeological collections and archives have increased, adding to the already very strong demands. Despite the real advantages, these developments have posed serious problems not only in the management of storage spaces, but also in conservation.
Digitisation offers the opportunity to renew methods of inventory, management, and conservation of archaeological resources. The first such initiatives began in the 2000s with the digitisation of record book collections and some archives. Since 2017, these efforts have been accompanied by the renovation and reorganisation of conservation areas and the acquisition and installation of new storage equipment. In addition, the permanent exhibition in the Laboratory has been redesigned in an educational format that is more accessible to school audiences. It is in this context that the implementation of the MAEASaM project at IFAN takes place.
Through remote sensing and geographic information systems, the MAEASaM project seeks to identify and map endangered sites and monuments, and thereby contribute to monitoring and conservation efforts. This innovative approach, backed by remote sensing, geomatics, and digital technologies, will allow for the standardisation of protocols used to record and monitor archaeological sites, also making it possible to update the archaeological map of Senegal as an efficient tool for site monitoring and conservation.
The logical continuation of this process would be digital repatriation, which is a much desired and important step towards the effective restitution of collections. Overall, this could undoubtedly help in harmonising the management of archaeological heritage with development policies and resource governance in concerned territories.
When backed by sustained community engagement and enabled by innovative technologies, these paradigm shifts in research, conservation and management practices could offer new perspectives and possibilities that provide credible and sustainable answers to questions of restitution, access, and democratisation. That is what the Archaeology Laboratory at IFAN Cheikh Anta Diop is doing with determination, in a spirit of more equitable sharing and solidarity.
Contribution by:
Professor Ibrahima Thiaw, MAEASaM Project Co-Investigator for Senegal, IFAN-UCAD, Dakar.
Adama H. Athie, MAEASaM Researchers for Senegal, IFAN-UCAD, Dakar.
Demba Kébé, Researcher at IFAN-UCAD, Dakar.
Nicolas Sagna, MAEASaM Researchers for Senegal, IFAN-UCAD, Dakar.
Mamadou Thior, MAEASaM Researchers for Senegal, IFAN-UCAD, Dakar.