Sara Wajid

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

is the co-CEO of

Birmingham Museums Trust Birmingham Museums Trust is the largest independent charitable trust of museums in the United Kingdom. It runs nine museum sites across the city of Birmingham, including Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) and Thinktank, Birmingham Science ...

and the founder of Museum Detox.

Education

Wajid studied English at the University of Sussex from 1991 to 1994. She went on to receive an MA in Comparative Literature (Africa/Asia) from the SOAS University of London in 1995 and received training from the National Council of Training for Journalists in 1999.

Career

She was a freelance arts journalist, writing for national newspapers, journals and literary magazines including '' The Guardian, New Statesman,

Prospect Prospect may refer to: General * Prospect (marketing), a marketing term describing a potential customer * Prospect (sports), any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team * Prospect (mining ...

, Times Higher Education, Mslexia,

Wasafiri ''Wasafiri'' is a quarterly British literary magazine covering international contemporary writing. Founded in 1984, the magazine derives its name from a Swahili word meaning "travellers" that is etymologically linked with the Arabic word "safari" ...

, Museums Journal, Local Government Chronicle'' and '' Times Educational Supplement''. Wajid first worked in museums in 2010 at the Royal Museums Greenwich, where she moved from leading the Adult Learning Programmes to becoming the Public Programmes Manager, then Senior Manager in 2016. She received her MA in Learning & Visitor Studies in Museums & Galleries at the University of Leicester in 2017. During this time she was Head of

Interpretation Interpretation may refer to: Culture * Aesthetic interpretation, an explanation of the meaning of a work of art * Allegorical interpretation, an approach that assumes a text should not be interpreted literally * Dramatic Interpretation, an event ...

at the

, and in 2018 she became the Head of Engagement for the Museum of London's New Museum, securing funding to unlock the museum's

oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people wh ...

collection. She became co-CEO with Zak Mensah of

in 2020, a position she currently holds. Wajid co-founded the Museum Detox Network in 2014, a network for people of colour who work in museums, galleries, libraries, archives, and the heritage sector. This network has grown to over 400 members. Museum Detox champions fair representation and the inclusion of cultural, intellectual, and creative contributions from POCs. She was awarded an MBE in 2019 for services to culture and diversity. Wajid served as a judge in the 2021 Museums + Heritage Awards and the Museum Activism Award 2021-22. Wajid is a trustee on the Board of Visitors for the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford.

Selected publications

Wajid, S., & Minott, R. (2019). Detoxing and decolonising museums. in ''Museum Activism'' (pp. 25–35). Routledge.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wajid, Sara Living people Birmingham Museums Trust Museum directors Museum educators Year of birth missing (living people)