The Rabai Museum is a

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

located in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. The museum is located in the first Christian church building constructed in Kenya. Much of the museum focuses on the work of

Johann Ludwig Krapf Johann Ludwig Krapf (11 January 1810 – 26 November 1881) was a German missionary in East Africa, as well as an explorer, linguist, and traveler. Krapf played an important role in exploring East Africa with Johannes Rebmann. They were the firs ...

, who built the church with

Johannes Rebmann Johannes Rebmann (January 16, 1820 – October 4, 1876), also sometimes anglicised as John Rebman, was a German missionary, linguist, and explorer credited with feats including being the first European, along with his colleague Johann Ludwig Krap ...

History

In 1844, a member of the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as ...

named Johann Ludwig Krapf began angelic activities in Kenya. Krapf & Rebmann purchased land from the elders of Rabai Kaya to build the church, which was completed in 1846. The objective with the construction of this church was to establish Christian villages in East Africa, Rabai being one of the first in Kenya. In 1998, the museum was inaugurated with the support of the German Embassy. The museum was established by the National Museums of Kenya to preserve books, maps and documents. A KSh.9 million/= restoration project was also undertaken to renovate the structure of the museum. Much of the funding for the restoration project was provided by the

Anglican Church of Kenya The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) is a province of the Anglican Communion, and it is composed by 41 dioceses. The current Leader and Archbishop of Kenya is Jackson Ole Sapit. The Anglican Church of Kenya claims 5 million total members. Accordin ...

and the German Embassy. The state-owned

National Museums of Kenya The National Museums of Kenya (NMK; ) is a state corporation that manages museums, sites and monuments in Kenya. It carries out heritage research, and has expertise in subjects ranging from palaeontology, archeology, ethnography and biodivers ...

Corporation provided 2 million Kenyan Shilling in addition to overseeing the restoration of the museum. The renovation work included the conversion of the Rebmann and Krapf cottages into a resource center.

Collections

The museum contains exhibits about the history of Christianity and the Slave Trade. The museum also has cultural artifacts of the

Mijikenda peoples Mijikenda ("the Nine Tribes") are a group of nine related Bantu ethnic groups inhabiting the coast of Kenya, between the Sabaki and the Umba rivers, in an area stretching from the border with Tanzania in the south to the border near Somalia i ...

. Among the Mijikenda ethnographic objects in the museum are a regalia, traditional clothing such as a hando (short skirt) and kishutu (colored fabric), as well as tools used to prepare traditional food.

References

Museums in Kenya Christianity in Kenya Religious museums in Africa {{Africa-museum-stub

History

Collections

See also

References