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Archival Platform April Newsletter
Download the Archival Platform April newsletter here.
Dear colleagues,
Heritage has really come under the spotlight this month!
In Uganda, the devastating fire that ravaged the Tombs of the Buganda Kings at Kasubi reminds us just how fragile our built heritage is. Heritage sites were in the news at home, too: print media carried reports on the state of the home of Dr John Dube, founding president of the African National Congress. The homestead was declared a provincial heritage site in 1995. In KwaZulu-Natal too, Winnie Mandela, speaking at the funeral of Fatima Meer, said that Meer’s home should be declared a national heritage site. The ongoing threat of mining near Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site and in the Cape Winelands continues to stir debate, though little attention is paid to the question of landscape as archive.
This month’s Archival Platform blog looks at the furore surrounding the singing of a struggle song, which includes the words, Dubul’ ibhunu (shoot the Boers), and the consequent debates on the heritage of hate speech currently raging in the media.
Our guest blogs this month cover a variety of topics. Harriet Deacon asks how South Africa will involve archive users in digitising archival collections. Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya describes the Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) model for skills development and the challenges this poses for the heritage sector. Thokozani Mhlambi contemplates the consequences of death for historical memory. Mark Turin and Imogen Gunn discuss the World Oral Literature Project, a global initiative to make endangered oral literature accessible. Kylie Thomas explores the “difficult conversations” that Jane Anderson engages in around the issues of indigenous knowledge, archives and the legacy of colonial power.
Our news section covers the disturbing seizure and subsequent return of photographs from a human rights exhibition in Zimbabwe. We note the exciting discovery of new hominid fossils in the Cradle of Humankind and the good news that the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) has acted to prevent the export of some South African treasures, including a signed copy of the Freedom Charter. We have news, too, of a controversial monument erected in Senegal and of an unusual museum, dedicated to hip hop, which has opened in Cape Town. Finally, we cover two new initiatives aimed at digitising documents in Italian libraries and in the Vatican.
There are a number of interesting opportunities, conferences and events listed and our resources section includes several useful, free online publications, as well as information about new databases and websites.
Next month we celebrate International Museum Day, with The International Council of Museums (ICOM) asking museums to consider the theme Museums for Social Harmony. We would welcome contributions on this topic for our next newsletter!
With best wishes
Jo-Anne Duggan
Director, Archival Platform
ARCHIVAL PLATFORM BLOG
Heritage or hate speech?
Jo-Anne Duggan
BLOGS
How will South Africa involve archive users in digitising its archival collections?
Harriet Deacon discusses some ways in which researchers could make voluntary contributions to digitising archival collections.
The SETA funding model for skills development: Challenges facing the heritage sector
Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya explains why the SETA funding model marginalises the cultural industries.
Death and the Archive in South Africa today
Thokozani Mhlambi considers some issues that have attracted media attention in recent weeks and contemplates the consequences of death for historical memory.
The World Oral Literature Project
Mark Turin and Imogen Gunn discuss the World Oral Literature Project, a global initiative to document and make endangered oral literatures accessible.
Archives, knowledge and ownership
Kylie Thomas reports on two fascinating research papers presented by Dr Jane Anderson, one of the most interesting critical thinkers in the field of intellectual property law and its relation to cultural heritage, at the University of Cape Town.
OPPORTUNITIES
For further details on these and other opportunities visit http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/category/opportunities_jobs_training/:
Call for chapters: Art and Trauma in Africa: Representations of Reconciliation in Film, Art, Music and Literature
Call for papers: The Romanian Journal for Museums invites museum specialists to submit papers on the ICOM 2010 theme, Museums for Social Harmony.
Call for proposals: 2010 Global Heritage Preservation Fellowship Programme
Creative Residency: At an English World Heritage Site
Course: Field School in Built Heritage and Cultural Landscapes, Douglastown, Canada
Course: Management Planning for Cultural Heritage, Shanghai, China
Course: First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Conflict, Rome, Italy
Fellowship: Kulture Alliance Creative Arts Fellowship 2010, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Fellowship: Ithaca College Pre-Doctoral Diversity Fellowship in Art History
Job opportunity: Luthuli Museum seeks a new Director
Get listed: The Arterial Network is producing a directory of African cultural institutions and organisations
NEW BOOKS
Cultural Landscapes
The latest publication in UNESCO’s World Heritage Series deals with the management of Cultural Landscapes.
The VOC Atlas Volume V
The fifth volume of the Grote Atlas van de Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC), or, the Comprehensive Atlas of the Dutch United East India Company, has been published as a collaborative project between the Netherlands National Archives and other parties. The book includes reproductions of maps, charts, illustrations and town plans created for the Dutch United East India Company (1602 –1799). These historical records have been drawn from archival repositories around the world. (Note: The Archives of the VOC were inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 2003.)
BOOK REVIEW
Diana Wylie, Art and Revolution: The Life and Death of Thami Mnyele, South African Artist
Art and Revolution provides not only a remarkable portrait of an individual and his work, but also a richly nuanced rendering of a crucial period in South Africa’s history.
NEWS
Zimbabwean police seize photos on exhibition
Zimbabwe police seized all the photographs from a Harare exhibition depicting repression under President Robert Mugabe. They also arrested Okay Machisa, head of Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation (Zimrights), the rights body that had organised the show. The images showed victims of violence: Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai with head injuries from an assault, police breaking up peace demonstrations and Mugabe praying, as well as pictures of members of the coalition government. Cynthia Manjoro, spokesperson for Zimrights, said the exhibition aimed to “make people look at where we have been and to try to make sure we don’t go there again.” She added, “It is about national healing and that we are begging for a truth and reconciliation commission.”
Police were forced to return the photographs after a court ruling that images of injured protesters could be shown.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/zim_photos/
Discovery of a new species of hominid
Professor Lee Berger of the University of the Witwatersrand and his team have announced the discovery of two fossils, almost two million years old, at a site in the Cradle of Humankind. The fossils, dubbed Australopithecus sediba, were described by Berger as a “Rosetta Stone into the past” because of the clues they may yield to unlocking human origins. Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe referred to the hominids as “time travellers [who] have found their way into the present, and, with the assistance of our scientists, are able to speak to us from the distant past”. The announcement of this discovery has aroused interest around the world.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/new_hominid/
The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) takes action to save South African treasures
SAHRA has taken firm action to save some South African treasures – including a signed copy of the Freedom Charter, two paintings by George Pemba and one by J.H. Pierneef – from being sold on auction in London.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/sahra_acts/
Department of Arts and Culture Budget 2010/2011
The Department of Arts and Culture presented an overview of its Medium-Term Economic Framework (MTEF) expenditure trends from 2006 to 2010 to the Portfolio Committee. The department’s budget has grown at an average annual rate of 25.6%. The 41% increase in expenditure on Heritage Promotion (Declared Cultural Institutions/National Museums, National Heritage Council (NHC), South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) and Geographical Names) can be attributed to investment in capital works projects, such as Freedom Park and to the upgrading and maintenance of museums. The 26% increase in expenditure on National Archives, Records, Libraries and Heraldic Services is attributed to improvements to public and community library services.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/dac_expenditure/
Malawi accedes to two UNESCO Conventions
Congratulations to Malawi on becoming the 122nd state to ratify the Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003)and the 108th state to ratify the Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005).
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/malawi_unesco_conventions/
Google to digitise antique Italian books
The Italian government has signed a deal with Google to put the contents of two national libraries, including works by Dante, Machiavelli and Galileo, on the internet.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/google_ancient_books/
Vatican to digitise manuscripts
The Vatican is set to start digitising the thousands of manuscripts in its library. This project is expected to take ten years!
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/vatican_manuscripts/
Museum of South African Hip Hop opens in Cape Town
A new warehouse-style museum housing vinyl records, old speakers, graffiti and pictures from the 1980s has opened in Cape Town. The museum is intended to be a place where people can reflect on and learn about the past, as well as a place where new talent can be discovered and nurtured.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/hip_hop_museum/
Senegal unveils a monument to the African Renaissance
A monument to the African Renaissance, symbolising Africa emerging from centuries of oppression, has been unveiled on a hill in Dakar, Senegal. This towering monument, which depicts a muscled man rising from a volcano, holding a baby on one shoulder and pulling a scantily dressed woman behind him, is significantly taller than the Statue of Liberty. It has sparked much controversy. Many have spoken out, condemning the expenditure as wasteful when Senegal’s health and education sectors are considered to be in a state of crisis. Some criticise it on the grounds that the woman appears to be subjugated to the male figure and others on the grounds that it goes against the Islamic restriction on depicting the human form.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/senegal_unveils_monument/
Follow-up: Fire at the Tombs of the Buganda Kings at Kasubi
A letter from Rose Nkaale Mwanja, Acting Commissioner of Museums and Monuments Department, Uganda, provides an update on national and international action following the fire that destroyed the Tombs of the Buganda Kings at Kasubi.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/fire_ravages_kasubi_tombs/
CONFERENCES & EVENTS
SAMA Western Cape Regional Conference
29-30 April 2010, Stellenbosch, South Africa
The SAMA Western Cape Regional Conference will explore the theme, Sports and Games.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/conferences/entry/sama_western_cape/
Imaging Identity: Media, Memory and Visions of Humanity in the Digital Present
This symposium is concerned with the many ways in which humanity images identity.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/conferences/entry/imaging_identity/
Call for papers: Traditional Medicine and HIV/AIDS Conference
28-30 July 2010, Durban, South Africa
This conference aims to discuss the role of traditional medicine in the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/conferences/entry/traditional_medicine/
Call for papers: Medical Anthropology in Global Africa: Current Trends in Scholarship and Practice
16-18 September 2010, Kansas, USA
This conference aims to bring together Africanist anthropologists and scholars in related disciplines, whose research interests lie in the intersection between cultural anthropology and medicine, public health, psychology, history, population and development and science and technology studies.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/conferences/entry/medical_anthropolog/
Call for papers: The Production of Colonial Historiography
4-5 October 2010, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
This workshop aims to explore the transformations in colonial historiography in two directions: the conditions, purposes and practices that directed and still direct the production of historically oriented analyses of colonial processes and the construction and presentation of objects and topics of historical analysis.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/conferences/entry/colonial_historiography/
Call for papers: Uniting Wisdom: Diasporas of Colour across Disciplines, Continents, Centuries and Cultures
16 October 2010, New York, USA
The 3rd Biennial First World Diaspora Conference focuses on the experiences of and construction of identity among diasporic peoples from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/conferences/entry/uniting_wisdom_diasporas/
Call for papers: Preserving African Cultural Heritage
1-7 November 2010, Dakar, Senegal
The 13th Annual PAA Congress (Pan-African Association of Prehistory and Assimilated Disciplines) and the 20th conference of the Society of Africanist Archaeologists (SAFA) will bring together two associations dedicated to African Prehistory.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/conferences/entry/preserving_african_heritage/
Online Conference: Wellbeing: A Cure-All for the Social Sciences?
15-19 November 2010, Online
Billed as the largest online meeting of minds in the Social Sciences and Humanities, this conference will include podcast keynote addresses, live Q&A sessions with presenters, as well as a book and journal exhibition.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/conferences/entry/wellbeing/
Call for papers: Mapping Africa from the Ninth to the Nineteenth Century
2-3 December 2010, Paris, France
This conference aims to analyse the construction and circulation of geographical knowledge between different cultural areas.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/conferences/entry/mapping_africa/
Call for papers: Africa in World Politics
27-27 March 2011, Austin, Texas, USA
The aim of this conference is to create an interdisciplinary dialogue on Africa’s contemporary and historical role in world politics.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/conferences/entry/africa_in_world_politics/
RESOURCES
Free online publication: Encouraging Digital Access to Culture
Encouraging Digital Access to Culture, published by the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), provides practical advice on ways in which institutions can use emerging technologies to share digital content and find new ways to engage with wider audiences.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/projects/resources/encouraging_digital_access/
Free online publication: Freedom of Information and Women’s Rights in Africa
This UNESCO resource includes case studies from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Zambia. It constitutes the first stage of a wider initiative aiming to foster women’s engagement in the formulation, adoption and implementation of freedom of information laws in the region.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/projects/resources/foi_and_womens_rights/
Free online publication: African Ivory
The National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, has developed a resource on African Ivory. This page includes: written and photographic information on the identification of elephant ivory and its substitutes; an overview of the laws and regulations that cover the trade in ivory and a selected bibliography.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/projects/resources/african_ivory/
Free online publication: World Heritage: Cultural Landscapes
Managing cultural landscapes with their material evidence and their non-material associations so that they remain of outstanding universal value, poses particular challenges. This book presents ideas that should be considered and issues that should be addressed and offers information about policies and case studies from different parts of the world.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/projects/resources/cultural_landscapes/
Online database: Rivonia Trial online
The Nelson Mandela Foundation has launched an online Rivonia Trial database, which documents records and artefacts held in 166 collections and 62 institutions worldwide. The records of this trial, Criminal Court Case No. 253/1963 (State Versus N Mandela and Others), were inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2007.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/links/category/archival_institutions/
Online search engine: The Connected History Project
A new search engine is being created to help historians find useful resources on early modern and 19th century British history. Once completed, the search engine will index digitised books, newspapers, manuscripts, genealogical records, maps and images.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/links/category/organisations_outside_of_africa/
Website: Arts in Africa
This website is intended to be a one-stop portal for information about the arts in Africa and a repository of information, resources and material on African arts and culture.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/links/category/organisations_in_africa/
Website: Genealogy World
This website includes a wealth of information of use to South Africans interested in researching family history. Apart from links to various databases, national and international, it also offers guidance on how to conduct research.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/links/category/archives/
Website: Museum id
Museum id is an independent, UK-based ideas exchange and think-tank for museum and heritage professionals.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/links/category/organisations_outside_of_africa/
Of special interest is a current blog that describes the steps that Hugh Wallace, Head of Digital Media at National Museums: Scotland, is taking to develop a social media strategy for the National Museums of Scotland.
http://www.museum-id.com/museum_articledetails.asp?newsID=125
Website: Young Researchers’ Forum
Lab for Culture has established a forum for young cultural policy researchers, particularly those with an interest in European cultural policies.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/links/category/organisations_outside_of_africa/
WHAT IS THE ARCHIVAL PLATFORM?
The Archival Platform is a strategic research, networking and advocacy initiative. We aim to promote collaboration and information sharing within the broad archive sector – including archives, museums and heritage, tangible and intangible – enabling effective dialogue between government, academics, practitioners and the public. Key areas of focus for the Platform in the medium term will include the economics of heritage, digitisation and use of digital tools in archives and heritage management and heritage education.
Our networking efforts will reach out beyond South Africa, to elsewhere in Africa and other continents to expand this debate.
Entries for this newsletter come from lists such as South African History Online, the Southern African NGO Network, International Council on Museums and Sites (ICOMOS), Australia Icomos, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Council of Museums (ICOM), Icom-SA, the International Council of African Museums (AFRICOM), H-Net, International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, Observatory of Cultural Policies in Africa (OCPA), UNESCO Forum, the Getty Conservation Bulletin and your contributions.
Feel free to pass the newsletter on, and let me know if you don’t want to be on the list.
The Archival Platform is funded by Atlantic Philanthropies, supported by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the University of Cape Town.
