MA Conference Cardiff 2025: Fellows Reports

POSTED ON 10/12/2025 IN Legacy Projects Museums Association

Written by Amelia Kedge, International Training Programme Coordinator (Legacy Projects)

In October 2025 we invited six ITP fellows to join us at the Museums Association (MA) conference in Cardiff.

The theme of the 2025 conference was perthyn – the Welsh word meaning to belong. The theme invited attendees to rethink the role of museums as places of connection and belonging, to re-examine how they engage with communities and to act on the idea that “belonging is not just a principle but a basic human right”.

ITP Fellows (Left to Right) Abdulrahman Al-Khafaji (Iraq, ITP 2024), Olena Shevchenko (Ukraine, ITP 2025), Richard Ohene-Larbi (Ghana, ITP 2024), Marie-Antoinette Gemayel (Lebanon, ITP 2016), Abdelrehim Moussa (Egypt, ITP 2012), Sayed Ahmed (Egypt, ITP 2016), Beimote Ngozi Etim (Nigeria, ITP 2017).

As well as attending the conference, the ITP team arranged a tailored programme of visits across the South Wales region, enabling participants to engage directly with a range of museum practices, heritage sites, and community focused initiatives. Programme visits this year included Big Pit National Coal Museum, Caerleon Roman Baths and Fortress, and the National Roman Legion Museum.

ITP Fellows Sayed, Olena, Richard, Marie-Antoinette, Abdulrahman and Abdelrehim at Big Pit National Coal Museum.
ITP team and fellows at Big Pit National Coal Museum.
ITP Fellows Richard, Marie-Antoinette, Sayed, Olena, Abdelrehim and Abdulrahman at Big Pit National Coal Museum.
Group photo of the ITP team and fellows at Caerleon.

(Left to Right) Group photo at Big Pit National Coal Museum; Group photo before the ‘Job-a-knock’ underground tour at Big Pit National Coal Museum; Group selfie at Big Pit National Coal Museum; Group photo of ITP team and fellows at Caerleon.

We are excited to share the reports from the six fellows who joined us for the week-long programme in Cardiff. Read about the experiences of each fellow by clicking on their names below.

  • Abdelrehim Moussa, Senior Curator, Museum of Islamic Art (Egypt, ITP 2012)
  • Abdulrahman Al-Khafaji, Head of the Database Division, Iraq Museum (Iraq, ITP 2024)
  • Marie-Antoinette Al Gemayel, Curator, Ministry of Culture, National Museum of Beirut (Lebanon, ITP 2016)
  • Olena Shevchenko, Senior Researcher and Head of the Archaeological, Collections Management & Research Department Odesa Archaeological Museum, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Ukraine, ITP 2025)
  • Richard Ohene-Larbi, Museum Educator, Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (Ghana, ITP 2024)
  • Sayed Ahmed, Director of the Museum Display, The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (Egypt, ITP 2016)

Thank you to Abdelrehim, Abdulrahman, Marie-Antoinette, Olena, Richard and Sayed for joining us for the conference and writing these excellent reports.

Please keep an eye on the ITP for future legacy project opportunities in 2026.