FAQ | Milele Museum

What is Milele Museum?

Milele Museum is hybrid institution that safeguards and digitalize the pre-colonial history and knowledge on the African ecosystem. Founded in 2021 in Rwanda, it showcases and digitizes artifacts, oral histories, and cultural practices from across the continent, starting with Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria, and Sudan. The platform combines storytelling, technology, and community participation to offer immersive experiences both online and in real life

What is the mission of Milele Museum?

Our mission is to protect and share African heritage by using digital technology and community-based practices. We aim to inspire pride, creativity, and critical thinking among Africans while challenging outdated colonial narratives.

Why was Milele Museum founded?

Milele Museum was created to counter the historical exclusion of African voices in museum spaces. Our founders, Canda and Melissa Kurkut, were motivated by the global restitution debate and the lack of access majority of African communities have to their own heritage. Instead of waiting for state-led solutions, Milele was born as a grassroots initiative to reclaim culture in ways that are accessible, collaborative, and rooted in the lived realities of African people.

What kind of content can I see in Milele Virtual Museum?

Visitors can explore interactive exhibits featuring:

3D reconstructions of cultural artifacts and spaces
Virtual landscapes of traditional architecture.
VR storytelling and guided experiences with characters like Tupu, the museum's guardian
Educational mini-games like Umuvuno, which introduces traditional African healing practices

All content is available via desktop, mobile, and Oculus Quest 2.

How is Milele Museum different from other museums?

Milele breaks away from the “white cube” model. Our exhibits reflect real-life cultural environments and living traditions, not static objects behind glass. We believe in community-first curation, where those closest to the heritage help shape how it is shared, seen, and remembered

How do you approach provenance research?

We partner with international museums to conduct community-based participatory research (CBPR) on African collections. Our approach centers local voices and knowledge systems. The findings are shared through our virtual museum features, offering more accessible, transparent, and culturally accurate histories.

How does Milele address digital vs. physical restitution?

We support the return of physical artifacts. But we also believe digital platforms can be a powerful step toward access, especially while formal restitution remains slow. Through 3D digitization and storytelling, we create ways for communities to reconnect with their heritage now, without waiting for government negotiations.

What technologies does Milele use?

We use 3D scanning, photogrammetry, Unreal Engine, Blender, and other virtual/augmented reality tools. These allow us to recreate artifacts, landscapes, and cultural experiences that are immersive and educational.

What educational programs do you offer?

Pre-colonial African history
Archiving and digitization skills
Creative storytelling
The politics and ethics of restitution

Our goal is to decolonize how history is taught and create space for Africans to shape the future of cultural preservation.

What are Milele Museum’s long-term goals?

We aim to represent all 54 African countries in all our content we offer. We’re building a sustainable platform that empowers communities, trains future cultural leaders, and ensures African heritage is celebrated globally but owned and guided by Africans.

What are some challenges you’ve faced?

We are encountering obstacles like insufficient funding, limited access to some collections, digital censorship (including the removal of posts on Instagram featuring traditional attire), and the infrastructure gap for audiences in Africa using Milele Virtual Museum. But we remain committed to overcoming these with innovation, collaboration, and community trust.