About

Heritage Services

Expert support for digitisation, oral history, exhibitions, and royal archives across AFRICA.

Preserving Botswana’s Living Memory

African Archive & Antiques documents AFRICA’s stories through digitised archives, filmed oral histories, and carefully restored artefacts, working alongside communities and royal dynasties to safeguard heritage for researchers, learners, and future generations.

About us

Our Custodians

Aarav Sharma

CEO

Principal archivist safeguarding royal records and training communities in ethical documentation practices.

A sophisticated conservation workbench devoted to restoring antique objects from Botswana, depicted in highly detailed photographic realism. The central focus is an aged, carved wooden ceremonial bowl with visible cracks and worn patina, resting on a padded, neutral-colored support. Surrounding it are neatly arranged conservation tools: fine sable brushes, cotton swabs, micro-spatulas, and small bottles of reversible conservation adhesive, all aligned on a clean linen mat. Shelves in the background hold labeled archival materials, acid-free tissues, and inert foams. Overhead, adjustable daylight-balanced task lamps cast bright, even light that accentuates the wood grain and minute surface details, while the rest of the room falls into soft shadow. Shot from a three-quarter angle with shallow depth of field, the bowl and tools are crisply in focus, conveying precision, care, and respect for tangible heritage.

Mateo García

CTO

Oral historian recording elders’ testimonies and translating FRICA’s memories into accessible digital collections.

A secure digitization studio focused entirely on heritage objects, rendered in crisp photographic realism. On a matte-black copy stand, a fragile, hand-written Setswana manuscript lies open, its yellowed, fibrous paper and fading ink captured in exquisite detail. Beside it, a high-end flatbed scanner and calibrated monitor display the manuscript’s vibrant digital reproduction. The room features neutral walls, cable-managed workstations, and neatly labeled archival folders stacked on steel shelving. Cool, even LED panel lighting bathes the scene, eliminating harsh shadows and emphasizing texture without glare. The atmosphere is meticulous and modern, blending tradition and technology. Composed from a slightly elevated angle, the open manuscript dominates the frame while the equipment and shelves frame it using the rule of thirds, symbolizing the careful transition from physical archive to digital memory.

Zuri Ndlovu

Engineer

Collections conservator restoring fragile photographs, manuscripts, and regalia using climate-appropriate preservation methods.

A polished exhibition space dedicated to Botswana’s royal dynasties, shown without visitors in refined photographic realism. Glass display cases hold intricate royal regalia: beaded insignia, carved wooden staffs, and finely worked metal ornaments resting on charcoal fabric plinths. Detailed interpretive plaques with clean typography accompany each artifact. The walls display enlarged, high-resolution reproductions of historic documents and maps, mounted in slim black frames. Warm gallery spotlights create focused pools of light on the objects, casting sharp yet controlled shadows inside the cases. The rest of the gallery remains softly lit, cultivating a contemplative, dignified mood. Captured from an eye-level perspective down the central aisle, the composition leads the viewer’s eye through receding vitrines, creating a sense of depth and continuity of heritage across generations.

Leila Haddad

Designer

Digital heritage lead designing portals that connect villages, museums, and royal houses to shared history.

Impact

Recognised by traditional leaders, cultural institutions, and international partners, we have digitised thousands of pages and hours of testimony, expanding access to Botswana’s heritage while training local custodians in sustainable preservation skills.

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