New BBC World Service Series Presented by Newcastle Presenter Kema Sikazwe
Shockwaves reverberate around the world’s great museums as Presidents and Prime Ministers promise to return looted goods. Activists take matters, and sometimes statues, into their own hands. Are age old culture wars really about to end?
This question is examined in a new BBC World Service three-part documentary presented by Zambian born actor, rapper and singer Kema Sikazwe.
Kema moved to Newcastle at the age of three and since then he has appeared in theatre, TV (Wolfblood, The Dumping Ground, Vera) and played the role of China in Ken Loach’s award-winning film I, Daniel Blake.
“Finders Keepers” explores the long-held convention that Western collections of art and culture are ‘inalienable’. Huge amounts of cultural artefacts are located in museums and private collections outside the continents from which they originated, much of which was looted, stolen, bought under duress or borrowed and never returned. Should these priceless parts of history be returned and if so at what cost both to the originating country and to the guardians who have maintained the relics safe for centuries?
With access to key protagonists in the ongoing battle for cultural control, the three-part series explores first the perspective of people who want their objects back; secondly, the response of the heritage sector in responding to their claims and finally, follows the controversies that can arise when objects are eventually returned.
Locations visited include London’s Horniman Museum, where Kenyan storyteller and curator JC Niala recalls her visit to an exhibition in Nairobi where she was shocked to find a photograph of her grandfather on display and Amsterdam’s famous Tropenmuseum where a government panel is deciding how artefacts seized from the former Dutch colonies are repatriated.
Kema himself found the series a revelation into his own background and culture.
“I came to the UK at the age of three and I wasn’t aware of the extent of items that found their way out of Zambia and into European collections. It really made me think and I hope the series will do the same to the listener.”
The series is a Scattered Pictures production run by RTS award winning Newcastle-based actress, presenter, writer, producer Kim Tserkezie. Keen always to showcase North East talent, Kim was eager to have Kema present the series, aware he was interested to explore his heritage further in his work. She was also thrilled to have Newcastle based Andy Jones (Radio Film) and Will Sadler (Anya Media) on board to produce. The documentary series is the company’s third radio commission by the BBC World Service following the acclaimed Migrants Mean Business in 2018 and Funeral Punks in 2020. Both are available on BBC Sounds.
Finders Keepers will air on BBC World Service from 2 December 2020 and online catch up services.
ENDS
Photo: Kema with ancient African skulls and Kema interviewing his father Hector Sikazwe for the documentary – credits Will Sadler
Media contact – Keith Newman Highlights PR 07814 397951