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Archives and Records Management: striking a balance
National and provincial archives are tasked with two key responsibilities: “the proper management and care of the records of governmental bodies” and “the preservation and use of a national archival heritage”. Jo-Anne Duggan considers the records relating to the change of street names in cape Town and concludes that when resources are scare and capacity limited it’s critical to strike a balance between these competing priorities
The role of interpreters in facilitating colonial conquest –Malinche, Pocahontas and Krotoa
Responding to an earlier post by Lucy Campbell, Kobus Faasen compares the lives of three prominent indigenous women who were introduced to “the people from the sea” at an early age. Malinche (modern-day Mexico), Pocahontas (Jamestown, North America) and Krotoa (Cape of Good Hope, South Africa).
Dispossessed, evicted and ruined
In the year in which South Africans mark the centenary of the iniquitous Natives’ Land Act, this poignant post, circulated to subscribers on Ben Khumalo-Seegelken’s mailing list,is a timely reminder of the traumatic impact of forced removals on individuals and their families.
Archiving Human Rights abuses. Your right to water.
Carolien Greyling uses the case of a community affected by polluted water to highlight the importance of archiving information about critical resources for communities to draw on in support of claims that their human rights have been violated, and to seek justice.
To whose stories will our archives be witness?
Harriet Deacon ponders on the stories told in South African galleries, museum exhibitions, archives and national heritage sites and wonders if there are imbalances and how they have been dealt with, and what new heritage forms have been acknowledged, and why.
Moshoeshoe’s legacy revived
Sebinane Lekoekoe comments on the celebrations that mark Moshoeshoe Day and shares information about this important king and other figures that have led the Basotho nation since his time.
Hidden voices: art and the erasure of memory in post-apartheid South Africa
Emile Maurice reports on a panel discussion focusing on the question, ‘What do we mean by ‘hidden voices’ in the arts after apartheid”. Convened by the Iziko South African National Gallery and the Centre for Humanities Research, University of the Western Cape, the discussion was sparked by the exhibition “Uncontained: Opening the Community Arts Archive”.
The Other Side of Silence
In a provocative article published by the Civil Society Information Service (SACSIS) Richard Pithouse argues that the memory of oppression and resistance is suppressed in our country and points to the consequences of this.
The Cow: A bridge between the living and the dead
Uhuru Phalafala writes about the significance of cows as a presence, a vessel, a bridge and a god in Sepedi culture and explains why, even in the direst situations of hunger, the cow will be preserved.
Sekoele Basotho: Protecting Initiation through the Law in Lesotho
Sebinane Lekoekoe considers the issues that shaped Lesotho’s the Protection and Administration of Customs on Initiation Schools and Other Related Customs Bill, intended to bring back the dignity of and respect for traditional initiation rites.
Archives, Memory and the Story of My Sister
Vusumuzi Khumalo uses the story of her sister’s teenage pregnancy to raise questions about archives. She concludes that insufficient attention has been paid - in the archives - to social problems.
Archives and Human Rights: The Case of Slavery in the Cape
Lucy Campbell reflects on the potential of archives to play a role in restorative justice, with particular reference to the history of slavery in Cape Town.
Christmas greeting from Winnie to Mandela - personal information /public archives
Have your say! How do archivists reconcile research and privacy interests when it comes to the disclosure of personal information?
Genres of the trace: memory, archives and trouble
An personal anecdote, extracted from a paper by Verne Harris in which he addresses the troubled and troubling relationship between archives and memory.
The Archival Platform visits Limpopo
Mbongiseni Buthelezi shares some observations about the Archival Platform’s visit to Limpopo and notes that, while the province faces many (archival) challenges, great strides are being made, largely due to the single-minded determination of individual officials!
