Custodians of Culture Fellowship
The Community Archivist
Our pilot fellowship: a 17-week foundational program that trained a new generation of Ghanaian heritage stewards through ethical practice, community fieldwork and hands-on archiving. Five fellows. In-person. Accra.
- Dates
- March 23, 2026 – August 5, 2026
- Schedule
- 17 weeks · Mon, Wed, Fri · 10am–1pm
- Location
- Archive Lab + Community Spaces, Accra
- Cohort
- Five fellows
- Stipend
- Stipend provided
- Supported by
- Gwaertler Grant
About the fellowship
Fellowship I was our pilot. It provided foundational training for emerging practitioners seeking to engage in ethical, community-centred heritage work. Fellows developed practical skills to document, digitise and care for at-risk cultural materials while learning to work collaboratively and respectfully with communities.
The fellowship emphasised listening before collecting, consent over access, and stewardship over ownership.
Fellows completed the program as trained Community Archivists, each producing a community-rooted micro-archive that is now a permanent part of the Si Hene Living Archives.
17 weeks of training
Monday (Lecture) · Wednesday (Field) · Friday (Critique & Reflection)
Ethos & Positionality
Grounding fellows in the ethics of archival work: positionality, consent and the responsibilities of holding community material.
Methods & Community Practice
Fieldwork method, interview practice, and paired visits with elders and tradition-bearers.
Objects, Photographs, Care & Archive Design
Handling, cataloguing and digitising physical material; designing a small archive structure.
Interpretation, Legacy & Public Return
Interpreting the material gathered, and returning it to the community it came from.
The Community Archivist · 2026
Poet · Cultural Researcher · Storyteller
Artist & Archivist
Cultural Curator · Programs Manager
Writer
Archivist · Youth Experience
Cultural Officer · National Commission on Culture
Who it's for
Open to early-career Ghanaian researchers, librarians and cultural workers with an interest in community-based archiving.
Fellows’ work becomes part of the Archive Lab and Living Histories.
Capstone archives are catalogued into the Archive Lab from day one, following its metadata standards and access rules. The stories and recordings fellows gather with communities are shared through Living Histories.