Archive and Collective Memories: Searching for African Women in the Pan-African Imaginary

In this article focused on archiving, collective memory, and the role of national imaginaries, we argue that although African women have actively been involved in nation building, their political action and lived experiences are often left out of legislative agendas, academic archiving and collective memory. We discuss the sidelining of women through legislation and representation while considering the (present and potential) roles of paper, digital and visual archives. Grounded in a discussion on colonial and postcolonial education in Kenya as a site to reproduce elitism, we consider how women’s participation in citizenship is invisible in the national collective memories of liberation, in global academic discourses about identity formation, knowledge and cultural production academic work as well as in the present policies and leadership. Many women's organizations on the African continent have made a priority of research and documentation work, in efforts to redress inequality/ignorance about women's lives.Ope