Archival Platform April 2011 newsletter

EDITOR’S NOTE

One of the questions we’ve been thinking about this month is why the archive, archives and archiving matter. There’s no doubt in our minds that they do. The concern expressed about archives under threat, the organisations established to provide aid to those at risk and the ongoing activity of building and making archives accessible are proof that archives matter to people across the globe. But why?

My Archival Platform post this month uses the story of Katsurato Hamada, an elderly Japanese man who died trying to retrieve a family photograph album, as the starting point for a reflection on why archives matter in relation to the past, present and future and concludes that the act of archiving doesn’t demonstrate our reluctance to let go of the past, or our insistence on holding on to the present; it’s an act of faith in the possibilities of the future.

We know that family history matters too. Over the months, ancestral stories have generated a number of very interesting questions from our readers – Siyabonga Mkhize’s post on writing his book about the Mkhize past seems to be a favourite among readers, and we regularly field questions on Musa Hlatshwayo’s post on origination in KwaZulu-Natal and Janet Kalis’s on entrants into Xhosa culture . We’re considering setting up a group of knowledgeable people to respond to queries that our team can’t. If you’d like to offer your services or recommend someone who might be able to assist us please email Mbongiseni on .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

In this month’s Ancestral Stories posts, Mbongiseni Buthelezi tells of the humorous Buthelezi get-together arranged through Facebook that he attended in Johannesburg, and includes a picture of the T-shrt he bought to prove that he was there! Saarah Jappie of the Tombouctou Manuscripts Project discusses the ‘kietaabs’ of Cape Town as remnants of South Africa’s historical Islamic writing culture and Ivy Shutu-Musekiwa writes about finding her South African grandmother’s grave in Cape Town 54 years after she had been murdered and her grandfather had taken the children back to Rhodesia.

Our Archival Platform correspondents share information about the projects in which they take special delight. Harriet Deacon tantalises our taste-buds with her post on food nominations to the Intangible Heritage Convention. Sebinane Lekoekoe, who is based in Lesotho considers ways in which bank notes are used to project national identity and convey his county’s his history, and is bound to have us scrutinising the currency in our own wallets. Vuyani Booi outlines the history and significance of the liberation archives at the University of Fort Hare and considers the role they may play in deepening democracy in South Africa.

As always, we’re inspired by archivists’ passion for their work the Vukani Museum has recently digitised 3,500 objects in their museum collection. WITNESS is training women activists in Kenya to record their stories and integrate video into their advocacy programmes. Ghanaian archivist Sammy Dzandu argues persuasively for the need for archivists to engage in the activities of the oil and gas industry in his country. Linguists working with the archive of endangered languages in Tanzania and Cameroon share their findings. Kim Veale argues that the World Wide Web is providing an alternative space for the age-old process of memorialisation. South Africa’s iconic Drum magazine celebrates its 60th birthday.

Roger Layton reminds us that poorly run digitisation projects may cost worthy initiatives their good reputation. As he says, it’s not too difficult to keep projects on track, if you attend to all the complexities from the start. We’re glad to hear that funding may be available through Ancestry 24 for Africa media Online to digitise archival collections of genealogical value, and look forward to hearing about the projects that have been granted funds to do this important work.

We condemn the destruction of archival records in Egypt and Tunisia, and empathise with the Japanese institutions affected by the natural disasters that have wrought havoc in their country in recent times. This month we draw your attention to some of the organisations that offer emergency relief to archives under threat: The Prince Claus Fund Emergency Response programme, the International Council on Museums (ICOM) and the Blue Shield.

As an initiative committed to deepening democracy we worry when the records of government are not open and available. We applaud the efforts of organisations such as COSATU and the Open Democracy Advice Centre of South Africa (ODAC) who bring pressure to bear on those who seek to keep information under wraps.

We support government’s commitment to guarding the constitutional right of South Africans to privacy, and the measures outlined in the Protection of Personal Information Bill to protect this. We remain concerned about the Protection of Information Bill and will continue to keep you informed of any developments pertaining to this Bill as it proceeds through the special parliamentary committee.

The sometimes fraught, sometimes fruitful relationship between heritage and economics is very much in the news. A draft discussion document towards a provincial museums policy, circulated for comment by the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport outlines some of the ways in which the province aims to support and make museums accessible to all, and draws on a recent study in the contribution of heritage to the economy of the Western Cape to justify further investment in the museum sector. Xolelwa Kashe Katiya attended the National Heritage Council’s Funding Indaba and shares her thoughts on the economics of ‘heritage’ in South Africa.

We’re concerned to hear that the Tanzanian president has withdrawn the nomination for the Eastern Arc Mountains Forests to be inscribed on the World Heritage List because he says the area is of importance for local economic development. Is there an inherent conflict between conservation and local economic activity, or is it possible to achieve a balance between these?

The Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) and its agencies have embraced government’s New Growth Path and are developing strategies to optimise the contribution of the arts, culture and heritage sector to job creation and economic development. As Minister Paul Mashatile argues, in the preface to the report, Mzansi’s Golden Economy distributed to delegates at the recent consultative conference, “The new vision of arts and culture goes beyond social cohesion and nourishing the soul of the nation. We believe that arts, culture and heritage play a pivotal role in the economic empowerment and skills development of a people.”

We’re keeping a watchful eye on the activities of DAC and its agencies and we’re happy to see the purposeful and energetic manner in which the Minister and his officials are moving forward. We welcome the relaunch of Kha Ri Ambre, the DAC newsletter which promises to keep stakeholders informed of new developments and the appointment of a new council for the Nelson Mandela Museum and new boards for the National Film and Video Foundation and the National Arts Council And hope that plans are afoot to appoint a new National Archives Advisory Council in the near future.

Proceedings in the Equality Court, where Julius Malema is facing a charge of hate speech continue to dominate the mainstream print media. We’ve updated our coverage on the ‘struggle song saga’ and wonder how many of you agree with Winnie Madikizela Mandela when she says that our heritage is on trial? We’ve also updated our coverage on the proposed demolition of the Uganda National Museum, and will follow the court action aimed at halting this, with interest.

This year South Africa will celebrate International Museum Day a week after the rest of the world. We look forward to bringing you news of these celebrations, intended to bring our national memory institutions – museum, archives and libraries – together to explore the stories that objects tell.

Jo-Anne

IN THE NEWS

Mzansi’s golden economy
A national consultative conference considerd the repositioning of arts, culture and heritage to contribute to government’s New Growth Path

The Western Cape government calls for input on a new museums policy
A draft discussion document outlines ways in which the province aims to and make museums accessible..

WITNESS is training women activists in Kenya
Through this training, women activists are learning how to integrate video into their advocacy campaigns.

The Prince Claus Fund Cultural Emergency Response programme
This programme offers quick and effective aid to stabilise or restore cultural heritage affected by man-made or natural disasters.

COSATU threatens legal action to access City of Cape Town report
We’re not as interested in the specifics of the spat between contesting parties as we are in the issues at stake for us as citizens!

National Summit on the Cultural and Creative Industries
Arts, culture and heritage are being repositioned to make a greater contribution to government’s New Growth Path.

Tanzania withdraws World Heritage Site nomination for the Eastern Arc Mountains Forests
Is there an inherent conflict between conservation and local economic activity, or is it possible to achieve a balance?

Destruction of records in Egypt and Tunisia
Records which might have included incriminating evidence against previous regimes have been destroyed.

Archivists, oil and national development!
Ghanaian archivist Sammy Dzandu argues that archivists need to manage the records relating the oil and gas industry.

Protection of Personal Information (PPI) Bill
The PPI Bill outlines measures to be taken by businesses to effect to the constitutional right to privacy in South Africa.

Drum magazine turns 60!
Images from this treasure trove of social history are available online.

Working with endangered languages in Tanzania and Cameroon
The archive of endangered languages reveals interesting information about how languages adapt to change.

International Council on Archives (ICA) 2102 Conference: A climate of change
Next year’s ICA conference will focus on the challenges and changes that archivists face as they manage, preserve and make accessible collections.

Update: The Uganda National Museum
More individuals and organisations add their voices to the call to oppose the demolition of Uganda’s National Museum.

Update: International Museum Day 2011
Due to local government elections, International Museum Day will be celebrated in South Africa on 25 May.

Update: ICOM and the Blue Shield take action in North Africa
Vandalism, looting and illicit trafficking in cultural objects put heritage in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya at risk.

Update: Japanese cultural institutions share their news
Cultural institutions affected by the devastating disasters in Japan share their news.

Update: Protection of Information Bill
Will the ‘draconian measures’ in this Bill be withdrawn?

Update: the ‘struggle song’ saga
The protagonists square up in court.

Funding available for digitising collections of genealogical value
Funding is available through available through Ancestry 24 for Africa Media Online to digitise archival collections of genealogical value.

The Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) announce new boards
The Nelson Mandela Museum, National Film and Video Foundation and the national Arts Council have new boards.

Digitisation of the Vukani Museum collection
Africa Media Online has digitised 3,500 objects from this collection and made them available online

Opportunities

Training

Master course in World Heritage at Work
University of Torino, Turin, Italy, 2011 – 2012

The Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African Peoples, Summer Institute 2011
York University, Toronto, Canada, 21 - 27 August 2011
Closing date for applications: 15 May 2011

Safeguarding Intangible Heritage
Deadline for Registration: 01 May, 2011

Calls for contributions

Local Vocabularies of “Heritage” Variabilities, Negotiations, Transformations
University of Évora, Évora, Portugal, 8 - 10 February 2012
Closing date for applications: 1 June 2011

Early Modern Merchants as Collectors
The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, United Kingdom, 15 - 16 June 2012
Deadline for Submissions: 31 May 2011

SA Museums Association (SAMA) Annual Conference
Sedibeng, Vereeniging, South Africa, 25 – 27 October 2011
Closing date for submission of abstracts: end June 2011

Indigenous Knowledge Technology Conference 2011
Namibia, 2- 4 November 2011
Closing date for submission of abstracts: 30 April 2011

Interdisciplinary Journal of Human Rights Law
Closing date for Submissions: Friday, July 15, 2011

Encounters: an International Journal for the Study of Culture and Society
Closing Date for Submission: 01 August, 2011

Memory and City Conference
Closing Date for Submissions: 25 April, 2011

The 2012 Southern Cultures Food Issue
Closing Date for Submissions: 14 July, 2011

Other opportunities

Artist in Residency Programme (AIR)
Cape Town, South Africa
Closing date for applications: 1 June 2011

University of Central Lancashire
Closing date for Application: 13 May, 2011

Conferences and Resources

Conferences

Beyond the Apartheid University? Interrogating the transformation of the South African Higher Education landscape
University of Fort Hare, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 22 - 24 November 2011

Fighting for equality: Social change through human rights activism
International Slavery Museum, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 10 - 13 October 2011

Knowledge management and museums
Sibiu, Romania, 4 - 9 September 2011

10th World Conference of the International Committee of Memorial Museums
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 30 May - 3 June 2011

Re-Visiting the Contact Zone: Museums, Theory, Practice
Linköping, Sweden, 17 - 21 July 2011

“I Know Where I’m Going”: Remote Access to World Heritage Sites from St Kilda to Uluru
Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 23 - 24 November 2011

Youth and History: Teaching, Learning and Making History
Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 - 24 September 2011

5th World Summit on Arts and Culture
Melbourne, Australia 3 - 6 October 2011

Post-conflict, Peace-building and Reconstruction in Societies Emerging from Conflict
Hope University, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 17 - 18 June 2011

Historical Justice and Memory: an interdisciplinary conference
Melbourne, Australia, 14-17 February 2012

Exhibitions

The Kopanang Universe Canticle - embroidered stories of evolution
Iziko South African Museum, Cape Town, South Africa, 22 March - 22 May 2011

The Future is in the Hands of the Workers: A History of FOSATU
Museum Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa, 17 February – 30 June2011

Resources

Book: Museums of Ideas: Commitment and Conflict. MuseumsEtc, 2011

Online journal: The latest issue of AFRICA SPECTRUM (vol. 45, no. 3) focusing on 50 Years of Independence in Africa

Book: Embroiled: Swiss Churches, South Africa and Apartheid. Edited by Caroline Jeannerat, Eric Morier-Genoud and Didier Péclard, 2011

Podcast: Episode 50 of Africa Past and Present available now online

Film: The Dance of the Spirits: A Funeral in the Winiama a village of Oulo

Podcast: Episode 51 of Africa Past and Present

Book: The Politics of a South African Frontier: The Griqua, the Sotho-Tswana. Martin Legassick. Basler Afrika, 2011

Online journal: Development Dialogue, March 2011, focusing on dealing with crimes against humanity

Book review: Cultural heritage impact assessment in Africa: an overview. Edited by Herman Kiriama, Ishanlosen Odiaua and Ashton Sinamai. Centre for Heritage Development in Africa, 2010

Online documentary: One Tribe One Style: A Text With an Agenda. Video on the art of the Mossi peoples of Burkina Faso on YouTube

Online publication: New Roles for New Times: Digital Curation for Preservation. Edited by Tyler Watson and Kathleen Skinner. Association of Research Libraries, 2011

Opinions

Archival Platform

Archives: from the past for the future?
Jo-Anne Duggan uses the story of an elderly Japanese man who died trying to retrieve a family photograph album to reflect on the role of the archive in relation to the past, present and future.

The economics of “heritage” in South Africa
Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya comments on some of the issues to be addressed as the sector faces up to the challenge of playing a greater role in job creation and economic development

Identity, heritage and food, part 2: Food nominations to the Intangible Heritage Convention.
In her previous blog Harriet Deacon discussed the rise of food heritage as a hot new topic. In this post she describes how this trend has played out in UNESCO’s heritage lists.

Ancestral Stories

Facebook, kinship and a braai
Mbongiseni Buthelezi tells of the humorous Buthelezi get-together arranged through Facebook that he attended in Johannesburg.

History, Heritage, Identity: Arabic manuscripts in Cape Muslim Families
Saarah Jappie of the Tombouctou Manuscripts Project discusses the ‘kietaabs’ of Cape Town as remnants of South Africa’s historical Islamic writing culture.

Coming to South Africa and Finding Grandmother
Ivy Shutu-Musekiwa writes about finding her South African grandmother’s grave in Cape Town 54 years after she had been murdered and her grandfather had taken the children back to Rhodesia.
Guest posts

The liberation archives at the University of Fort Hare
Vuyani Booi outlines the history and significance of the liberation archives and explains the role they may play in deepening democracy in South Africa.

Lesotho’s monetary heritage
Sebinane Lekoekoe considers ways in which bank notes are used to project national identity and convey the country’s history.

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