Reconstructing the legacies of colonial detention: Digital heritage, memory, and the Mau Mau Emergency, 1952–1960

This article examines the legacies of colonial detention in Kenya and considers the adaptive digital heritage practices used by the Museum of British Colonialism to hold space for the individual experiences of survivors. The histories of British atrocities committed in colonial Kenya during its Emergency period have been contested, both academically and publicly. Considering this, MBC, in partnership with African Digital Heritage, has been motivated by a shared desire and responsibility to restore marginalized narratives where they have been ignored, silenced, and destroyed. Using digital technologies and heritage practices grounded in co-creation and personal exchange, this article offers a framework to reimagine colonial heritage and memories of conflict.