Biography

Maximilian Felix Chami (PhD) is a cultural heritage specialist and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest (AVReQ) of Stellenbosch University. He holds a PhD in Heritage Studies from BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany and MA in Heritage Management from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He previously served as a Senior Research Officer and Secretary of the Restitution Committee of cultural property and ancestral human remains at the National Museum of Tanzania (2021–2022) and as a Culture and World Heritage Officer at the UNESCO National Commission of the United Republic of Tanzania (2015–2021). Dr Chami was also a Visiting Researcher and Sensitive Provenance Research Fellow at the University of Göttingen, Germany in 2022 and 2024. His research focuses on cultural heritage management, colonial heritage and history, cultural tourism, and restitution and repatriation of human remains and ethnographic objects.

Current Project

Building on his previous sensitive provenance research on human remains from colonial contexts at the University of Göttingen, Dr Chami’s current work investigates the narratives and memories surrounding German colonial violence, particularly the execution of two prominent chiefs from central Tanzania. His project explores how this history of violence has influenced cultural negotiations and shaped the coping strategies of local communities in mourning their lost leaders.

Email: maxchami@yahoo.com

Recent Publications

Journal articles

Chami, M. F. (2025). Cultural Heritage Conservation and the Colonial Past in Tanzania: Collaborative Approaches towards German Colonial Administrative Buildings and Military Stations (Bomas). International Journal of Heritage Studies, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2025.2579246.

Chami, M.F., Ndyanabo, A.S. & Stoecker, H (2025). Finding Solutions for Managing, Protecting, and Promoting Tendaguru Palaeontological Site in Tanzania. Geoheritage 17, 44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-025-01092-7.

Chami, M. F. (2024). Restitution and Repatriation of Ancestral, Human Remains from Colonial Contexts in Tanzania. Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage, 13(3), 261–280. https://doi.org/10.1080/21619441.2024.2425899.

Chami, M. F., Ryano, M. P., & Ndyanabo, A. S. (2024). The Archaeology and Cultural Heritage of the Mafia Archipelago, Tanzania: Recommendations for Conservation and Management. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13505033.2024.2414521.

Chami, M.F & Mjema, E. (2024). Local Community Engagement and Gazettement Approach in Managing and Conserving Pangani Historic Town in Tanzania. Built Heritage 8, 31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-024-00148-x.

Lwoga, N. B., Chami, M., Kafumu, B., Kisusi, R., & Ndahani, P. (2024). Multivocality and Its Implications for the Representation of Heritage: A Case Study of the Slavery Heritage in Mikindani, Tanzania. Journal of Heritage Management, 9(1): 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/24559296241249242.

Chami, M. F., Simba, A., & Stoecker, H. (2023). Community Awareness and Restitution of Isanzu Ancestors’ Human Remains from the University of Göttingen Collections to Mkalama District, Tanzania. Africa Spectrum, 58(2), 155-178. https://doi.org/10.1177/00020397231202806