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Archival Platform July 2010 Newsletter
Download the Archival Platform July newsletter here.
Dear Colleagues,
The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ has come and gone, the vuvuzelas have been packed away and we at the Archival Platform are taking time to look inwards and reflect on who we are and what we’re doing. We’re also looking outwards and inviting others to share ideas and experiences with us. And, we’re looking at developments in the world around us – through an archival lens.
This month’s editorial blog reflects on the vision and mandate of the Archival Platform, as it nears its first anniversary.
Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya reports on the debate around human remains unearthed in the construction of a new city building in Cape Town and developments at the ossuary in which these remains are housed. Sebinane Lekoekoe describes the Selibeng Multi-purpose Centre of Culture, Conservation and Learning Project (SEMPUCCCLE), a small community-based initiative dedicated to promoting Lesotho’s leadership history.
We welcome contributions from two new personas: Mak from Makhado, who goes off in search of monuments to local heroes and gets confused, and the Remembrancer, who comments on a dialogue on reconciliation between renowned Chilean-American author Ariel Dorfman and a group of young South African writers.
Last month, Ancestral Stories brought you a series of blogs on ways in which people are engaging with the histories of their families or larger groups with whom they are affiliated. This month, our blogs focus on ancestors and on how groups, built on the premise that ancestors are important, are convening to remember events that happened almost 200 years ago and are forging identities based on the appreciation of their forebears. Velaphi Mkhize talks about why the ancestors matter, Phineas Ndwandwe writes about efforts to convene the Ndwandwe, Maanda Mulaudzi tells us about family history associations in Venda and Mbongiseni Buthelezi reports on the annual gathering of the Insika yamaNtungwa (“Pillar of the maNtungwa family”).
A number of organisations have made submissions to the Ad Hoc Committee on the Protection of Information Bill. Their comments give cause for concern, especially in relation to the effect that the implementation of this Bill may have on media reporting on matters of public interest.
It has been somewhat ironic to note that the media and media-related issues have been very present in the news this month.
Like many South Africans, we were disquieted to read that a former Cape Argus reporter admitted to taking bribes to report favourably on former Western Cape premier, Ebrahim Rasool. The Times has been roundly criticised for publishing a photograph of a dead baby on its front page and the Mail&Guardian has been criticised for showing a painting that depicts Mandela as a corpse on its front page. The painting itself has raised a storm and, like Zapiro’s cartoon of the prophet Mohammad which we drew your attention to last month, has drawn accusations of cross-cultural insensitivity.
We also report on the South African Human Rights Commission’s finding that Zapiro’s cartoon, which shows “Lady Justice” about to be raped by ANC President Jacob Zuma with the help of his political allies, does not constitute hate speech, unfair discrimination or violation of any human rights enshrined in our Constitution.
The Archival Platform has a particular interest in the curation of archives and this month we draw your attention to three new exhibitions that draw on archives, in all their complexity: Indépendance! Congolese stories at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium; The End Conscription Campaign (ECC) exhibition at the Ditsong National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg; and the New Year Carnival and the Alibama at the Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum in Cape Town.
In the resources section we include a virtual tour of the award-winning Red Location Museum in Port Elizabeth and information about two new documentaries, The Ancient Astronomers of Timbuktu, which draws on Mali’s extraordinary manuscript archive, and The Promised Land, a production that deals with land reform and legacy in South Africa.
As the soccer crowds left, the South African Society of Archivists (SASA) sprang into action at their annual conference. We’ve added a report on this conference to the website, as well as a presentation delivered there by National Archivist Dr Graham Dominy, which summarises the findings of a report, The Demand for and Supply of Skills in Library and Information Services, Archival Services and Records Management, commissioned by the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC).
We’ve listed a number of opportunities for those of you looking for a platform to publish or participate in conferences, or to apply for fellowships or jobs.
Please remember that we welcome contributions from our readers. Please send your blogs, news or opportunities for inclusion on the website and in our newsletter.
Some breaking news: We’re happy to report Arts and Culture Minister, Lulu Xingwana, has responded to the “Letters to Lulu”, we sent her late last year. We’re going to give the people who composed the letters a chance to read the Minister’s response before we post it, and their comments, on the web.
With best wishes,
Jo-Anne Duggan
BLOGS
The Archival Platform: Who are we, where are we going?
Jo-Anne Duggan reflects on the Archival Platform’s vision and mandate.
Read more…
Prestwich Place Memorial: Human remains, development and truth
Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya reports on the debate around human remains unearthed in the construction of a new city building and developments at the ossuary in which these remains are housed.
A new spin on Lesotho heritage
Sebinane Lekoekoe describes the SEMPUCCCLE Project, a small community-based initiative dedicated to promoting Lesotho leadership history.
I don’t get monuments
Mak from Makhado goes in search of monuments to local heroes, and gets confused.
Suspect Reconciliation
The Remembrancer comments on the dialogue between Ariel Dorfman and four South African writers of a younger generation on the subject of reconciliation.
Ancestral Stories editorial
Mbongiseni Buthelezi introduces this month’s Ancestral Stories blogs, which focus on the ancestors and on how different groups are convening to remember them.
Ubumbano lwamaZwide (“The People of Zwide’s Unity Association”)
Phineas Ndwandwe writes about the efforts to gather the Ndwandwe to search for their history.
The Ancestors (“Amathongo”)
Velaphi Mkhize, founder of the Umsamo African Institute, talks about why the ancestors matter.
We need to know one another
Maanda Mulaudzi tells us about family history associations in Venda.
The annual gathering of the Insika yamaNtungwa (“Pillar of the maNtungwa family”)
Mbongiseni Buthelezi reports on the organisation, the annual event and the monument.
NEWS
Protection of Information Bill: Submissions to the Ad Hoc Committee
A number of organisations have made submissions on the latest draft of the Protection of Information Bill. Their comments give cause for concern, especially in relation to the effects that the implementation of this Bill may have on media reporting on matters of public interest.
The “Dead Mandela” painting and other disturbing images
Yuill Damaso’s parody, which depicts Nelson Mandela as a corpse, and The Times’ publication of a photograph of a dead baby, have been roundly condemned, if for different reasons.
SABC Mbeki ban?
The SABC has denied reports that it has banned television and radio coverage of former President Thabo Mbeki.
“Training and Capacity-Building in the Archival and Records Management Professions in South Africa”
This presentation, delivered by National Archivist Dr Graham Dominy at the South African Society of Archivists Conference earlier this month, summarises the findings of a report, The Demand for and Supply of Skills in Library and Information Services, Archival Services and Records Management, commissioned by the Department of Arts and Culture.
Report on the South African Society of Archivists (SASA) Conference, July 2010
Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya reports on the SASA Conference on “Records and Archives in Support of Good Governance and Service Delivery” in Pretoria earlier this month.
Read more…
Chequebook journalism?
A former Cape Argus reporter’s admission that he accepted bribes to report favourably on former Western Cape premier, Ebrahim Rasool, has raised concerns about the integrity of the media.
Request for loan of “passbook” for overseas exhibition raises an alert!
The South African Heritage Resources Agency’s (SAHRA) response to a request posted on the International Council of African Museums’ listserv, AFRICOM-L, for the loan of a South African passbook, reminds us that heritage objects may not leave the country without a permit from SAHRA.
South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) finds Zapiro not guilty of hate speech
The SAHRC has found that Zapiro’s cartoon, that shows “Lady Justice” about to be raped by ANC President Jacob Zuma with the help of his political allies, does not constitute hate speech, unfair discrimination or a violation of any human right enshrined in the Constitution.
CALLS FOR PAPERS, PROPOSALS AND CONTRIBUTIONS
Call for articles: The African Musicology Online Journal
Call for contributions: Past and present African experiences everywhere in the world, online
Call for contributions: The International Journal of Intangible Heritage Volume 6
Call for papers: Arts Council of the African Studies Association, 15th Triennial Los Angeles, United States of America, March 2011
Call for papers: “Other Views: Art History in (South) Africa and the Global South” Johannesburg, South Africa, January 2011
Call for papers: “Advances in New Technologies, Interactive Interfaces and Communicability (ADNTIIC 2010)” Córdoba, Argentina, October 2010
Call for Papers: “2010 Social Science Research in Africa Conference” Pretoria, South Africa, August 2010
Call for sessions: “The 6th Science Centre World Congress” Cape Town, South Africa, September 2011
EXHIBITIONS
Indépendance! Congolese stories
Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium, June 2010 – January 2011
On the End Conscription Campaign (ECC)
Ditsong National Museum of Military History, Johannesburg, South Africa, June – August 2010
New Year Carnival and the Alibama
Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum, Cape Town, South Africa, June – November 2010
CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
Conference: “Archives and Records Management” Pretoria, South Africa, October 2010
Conference: “Reimagining the Archive: Remixing and Remapping Traditional Models in the Digital Era” California, United States of America, November 2010
Conference: Bridging Ages Conference 2010, “Applied Cultural Heritage – How Telling the Past at Historic Sites Benefits Society” Kalmar, Sweden, November 2010
Conference: “The 3rd AFRICOM General Assembly and Conference” Scheduled for October 2010, has been postponed to 2012
Workshop: “Transnational Family-Making: Children, Young People and Migration” Florence, Italy, April 2011
OPPORTUNITIES
Call for nominations: Western Cape representative on the National Archives Advisory Council
Fellowships: Early career postdoctoral fellowships in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa
Fellowship: The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Washington, United States of America
Job opportunity: Researcher, Built Environment Robben Island Museum. Cape Town, South Africa
Job opportunity: Unit manager, Exhibition and Development Robben Island Museum. Cape Town, South Africa
Job opportunity: Exhibition Facilitator Robben Island Museum. Cape Town, South Africa
Job opportunity: Exhibition Technician Robben Island Museum. Cape Town, South Africa
Professional organisation: Join the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and participate in its International Committees or special interest groups
Scholarships: To attend this year’s Museum Computer Network Conference. Austin, United States of America, October 2010
BOOKS AND OTHER RESOURCES
Bibliography: Version 78 of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography is now available online
Book: World Guide to Library, Archive, and Information Science Associations
DVD: The Promised Land, a documentary about land reform and the legacy of Apartheid in South Africa
DVD: The Ancient Astronomers of Timbuktu, a documentary that draws on Mali’s extraordinary manuscript archive
Online tour: Red Location Museum, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Podcast: Episode 43 of Africa Past and Present, a podcast about African history, culture, and politics, is now available
Website: Musik Mag, an online and print platform for South African and continental music and arts
