From the Curator

The Diawara & Schaffner Archive was born from a deeply personal responsibility—to preserve the remarkable legacy of Gallery Watatu, my parents Adama Diawara and Ruth Schaffner, and the many artists whose work helped shape the story of East African contemporary art.

I am Mutari Diawara, Founder and Curator of the Diawara & Schaffner Archive, and the son of Adama Diawara and Ruth Schaffner. While this archive is rooted in my family’s history, its purpose extends far beyond it. It is dedicated to documenting, preserving, and sharing an important chapter in the cultural history of East Africa for artists, researchers, students, collectors, and future generations.

Growing up around Gallery Watatu, I witnessed firsthand the extraordinary relationships my parents built with artists from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire, and many other parts of Africa. The gallery was more than an exhibition space; it was a place where ideas were exchanged, careers were nurtured, friendships were formed, and African contemporary art found an international audience.

As the years passed, I began to realise how much of this history was quietly disappearing. Photographs were fading, exhibition catalogues became increasingly difficult to find, newspaper articles remained hidden in private collections, and many of the individuals who had helped shape Gallery Watatu’s story were growing older. Each passing year increased the risk that valuable memories and historical records might be lost forever.

This archive is my response to that challenge.

Its mission is to collect, preserve, and make accessible the stories, photographs, exhibition catalogues, invitation cards, newspaper articles, correspondence, and historical documents that tell the story of Gallery Watatu and the artists whose work it championed. It also seeks to honour the lives and contributions of Adama Diawara and Ruth Schaffner, whose vision helped establish one of East Africa’s most respected contemporary art galleries.

However, this archive is not intended to be a closed collection or a finished project. Rather, it is a living archive that will continue to grow as new information, photographs, and personal recollections emerge. Many important pieces of this history remain in private collections, family albums, filing cabinets, and personal memories. Every contribution, however small, helps complete a larger story.

If you were an artist, collector, curator, journalist, visitor, friend of Gallery Watatu, or possess photographs, exhibition catalogues, invitation cards, newspaper clippings, correspondence, or personal memories connected to the gallery, I warmly invite you to contribute to this archive. Every document shared and every story recorded helps preserve an irreplaceable chapter of East African art history.

While this archive began as a personal commitment to honour my parents’ legacy, I hope it becomes a trusted resource for everyone with an interest in African contemporary art. More importantly, I hope it serves as a tribute to the remarkable artists whose creativity, courage, and vision transformed Gallery Watatu into far more than a gallery—it became a meeting place of cultures, ideas, and artistic excellence.

Preserving history is never the work of one individual. It is a shared responsibility, built through the generosity of those who choose to preserve their memories and share them with others.

Thank you for visiting the Diawara & Schaffner Archive. I hope it encourages you to explore, remember, contribute, and celebrate this extraordinary legacy with us.

Mutari Diawara
Founder & Curator
Diawara & Schaffner