From street names to monuments, the material sediments of time can be seen, heard, and felt in the diverse cultural archives of ancient and contemporary Africa. Though museums are historical products of European colonization, this seminar interrogates whether curatorial practice can be reformed to uplift African voices and stories. Though legacies of colonialism inspire debates on restitution, reparation, and reconciliation, this seminar takes seriously the call to “decolonize” the museum and critically examine the history of colonial collecting practices in Europe and the United States. Students will not only learn to trace connections between ancient and contemporary African archives, but develop their own critical approach to researching and curating African cultural objects. Invited guest speakers include Africanist scholars and professionals with expertise in diverse sectors of African or African diasporic cultural heritage and preservation. The class will visit a number of museums and galleries in New York City with African collections throughout the semester. Students will research and curate these for a final culminating project in which they design a digital exhibition and give a final presentation on their selected artifact to a panel of external reviewers. Students will be responsible for their own transportation for gallery and museum visitations.