Google Arts and Culture has collaborated with the National Museums of Kenya to unveil and celebrate the country’s cultural and folk heroes.

 

The event graced by Sports, Culture, and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed was hosted at the National Museums of Kenya and also shared virtually on the eve of Mashujaa Day.

 

The holiday celebrated on October 20 honours all those who contributed towards Kenya’s independence or who made positive contributions after independence.



CS Amina Mohamed during the launch. PHOTO/COURTESY

 

The collection features 61 superheroes from the 44 communities in Kenya and 30 were added in phase two of the project in 2020 backed by the two institutions.

 

The superhero display features Kenya’s pre-independence legends who fought for community land, freedom and well-being and are valued by their communities.

 

Masidza Sande Gala (1993-2020), the co-founder and creative director at Nairobi’s Shujaa Stories and Tatu Creatives mooted the Shujaas concept in 2017.

 

Gala was feted during the virtual launch, coming two years after Shujaa Stories made its public debut with an exhibition at the Nairobi National Museum, Nairobi.

 

Each Kenyan Shujaa featured on the Google Arts and Culture platform comes with a complete story describing why and how they became a hero in audio and video format.

 

 

 

Here’s President Uhuru Kenyatta’s message during the launch:

 

 

ODM Party Leader Raila Odinga also shared a message: