As a recipient of the 2009-10 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, Salome, an art history major with a minor in French, traveled to Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Africa, Mali, Niger, Egypt, and Cambodia to explore how identities are formed and reflected in different communities through objects of their cultural heritage. Sash’s international fellowship grant is one of 40 grants awarded annually to graduating seniors with sound academic skills and unusual promise throughout the nation.

Salome’s Watson Fellowship was entitled, “Embracing the past: Identity and Cultural Heritage.” Although the Murumbi collection that inspired Sash’s study is seen as a varied and valuable collection of African heritage, the looting of cultural artifacts dramatically hinders archaeological research and affects cultural identity. Poor farmers and villagers often find and sell artifacts to a middleman who, in turn, sells them to a museum, usually located in Europe or the United States. Sash explored the economic hardships that may motivate the sale of preserve the art in its original geographic and cultural context. “If people have nothing to relate to the past, then it will be difficult for them to decide what they want for their future,” says Sash. In cases where native artifacts are still held by their cultural owners, she plans to investigate what is being done to protect them, and to determine preventative measures that could be initiated throughout Africa.

Interested in applying for the Watson Fellowship? Visit https://legacy.berea.edu/cie/thomas-j-watson-fellowship/ to learn about deadlines, eligibility, and how to apply!