Chao Tayiana Maina, a Kenyan historian and digital-heritage specialist working at the intersection of culture and technology, consulted Digital Benin on the use and publication of derogatory, racist and harmful language on the platform in data and information received from the institutions. Her work primarily focuses on the use of technology in the preservation, engagement and dissemination of African heritage, and she consulted multiple institutions about the topic prior to the proposal she established within the limited time frame after having viewed most of the data on the platform. Her proposal led to the development of trigger warnings in the data transferred by the institutions and a matrix for the differing wording. One outcome of her proposal was to bring the publication of the archival material received from the institutions into an extension of the project because the content and language in the material demands more extensive consultation.
Biography
Chao Tayiana Maina is a Kenyan digital heritage specialist and digital humanities scholar working at the intersection of culture and technology. Her work primarily focuses on the application of technology in the preservation, engagement and dissemination of African heritage. She holds an MSc International Heritage Visualisation (distinction) and a BSc Mathematics and Computer Science. Her research work explored the possibilities of embedding intangible histories in 3D digital environments. She is a recipient of the Google Anita Borg scholarship for women in technology. She is the founder of African Digital Heritage (https://africandigitalheritage.org/), she is also a co-founder of the Museum of British Colonialism (https://www.museumofbritishcolonialism.org/) where she leads digital engagement and is a co-founder of the Open Restitution Africa (http://openrestitution.africa/) project. Portfolio website: https://headstronghistorian.com/ (https://headstronghistorian.com/)