Zewditu Gebreyohanes launches The Custodian

Our former Director has launched a blog on Substack which will examine the politics of the heritage industry.

She started by trying to unravel the motivations of those running the National Trust when they embroil the charity in activism:

‘All this seems to suggest that your rhetoric, agenda and actions are chiefly influenced not by a genuine motivation to better society but by external sources of funding, such as research grants, government subsidies and corporate sponsors, as well as by commercial interests in the form of rents, revenues and cost-cutting.’

Next, Zewditu looks at the part played by the Museums Association, a body which appoints a member to the National Trust’s Council, in politicizing heritage:

‘Indeed, the Museums Association is clear that the safety, security and preservation of collections is secondary to other, trendier objectives. “Enable collections mobility, including loans to and from a wide range of venues, and between institutions in the Global North and Global South”, it advises, adding ominously: “Be prepared to take risks with collections”. These are not the words of an organisation interested in the preservation of valuable historical artefacts.’