In 1994, the Community Peace Museums Heritage Foundation (CPMHF) was formed by Dr. Sultan Somjee, a Kenyan ethnographer who aimed to explore the values of peace that were once embedded in visual and oral traditions of Kenya’s indigenous cultures.
Dr. Somjee trained indigenous men and women in rural communities to conserve material culture associated with peace traditions. The aim was to strengthen the cultural foundations that commemorate memories of living without violence among various ethnic tribes through cultural heritage. What makes the CPMHF peace museums unique is that they focus on a grassroots approach to “recall collective memories of reconciliation during contemporary conflicts” (Somjee, 2014, 8).
The goal of CPMHF is to utilize cultural heritage knowledge as a resource for conflict resolution and sustainable development. Today, CPMHF has a network of community based peace museums.
Abagusii Peace Museum / Aembu Peace Museum /Akamba Peace Museum / Dorobo Peace Museum / Isukha Mulindi Peace Museum / Keiyo Peace Museum / Lari Memorial Peace Museum / Maasai Peace Museum / Pastoralist Peace Museum / Pokot Peace Museum / Tharaka Peace Museum / Chuka Peace Museum / Yaaku Peace Museum