‘Kha ri Ambre’ highlights archives

National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Highlights, Achievements and Ongoing Projects 2010-2011

The new building for the Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu

Remedial work on the floors in the Conservation laboratory, digitisation room etc is complete, and all repair work to the structure of the building (i.e. ceilings, walls, plumbing) are 90% complete. The library, Digitisation Section, Conservation Workshop and the Research Section (which includes cataloguing is completely relocated and is now operating from the new building. Only the IT section (awaiting an imminent internet connection) and the manuscript collection are still to be relocated following a final building inspection of an independent Milan based engineer.

FIAF Summer School & Congress

The National Film, Video and Sound Archives hosted the 67th FIAF (Federation of International Film Archives) Congress during April 2011 where Film Archives from all over the world attended and deliberated on matters such as Indigenous Film Collections and how they are distinguished from other films.  Case studies on various indigenous collections were presented, and the issue of repatriation and the return of control, as well as access over indigenous filmed collections were discussed, including the issue of traditional rights.

The FIAF Summer School, where sought after skills in the scarce skills of preserving Film, and Film related material was hosted in the two weeks preceding the Congress.  45 Students from all over Africa attended the Summer School that focused on areas such as the Film production process, identification of various film formats and the different parameters for preservation, including access and digitization.  The challenge of preserving 3D film was also discussed in detail, as well as the various Digital Asset Management systems and their advantages I preserving audiovisual heritage.

Community Library Recapitalisation Programme

In our pursuit of building a fair, cohesive and caring society; libraries form part of our development strategy. The DAC is guided in this regard by the commitment of the World Summit on Information Society which “declared a common desire to build a people – centred, inclusive and development – orientated information society, where everyone can access, create, utilise and share information and knowledge, enabling individuals, communities and peoples to achieve their full potential in improving their quality of life”.

The implementation of the community library recapitalisation programme is being consolidated. The first three years of the project has been completed. Over the next three years the department has earmarked an additional R1.6 billion to expand access to library and information services especially to the information deprived and most neglected categories of our people.

Since the inception of the programme three years ago over 600 professional and support staff has been appointed at community libraries across the country. In addition 170 libraries have been upgraded and 20 new libraries have been built. In an effort to bridge the digital divide public internet access facilities are also being established in all libraries.

Flag in Every School Project

The DAC is pleased to announce that the 2nd Phase of the Flag in Every School Project is currently underway will install as many as 3000 flags and flag poles in 3000 schools. As this second phase is being concluded, the most interesting phase of the project is yet to start. The third Phase of the Flag in every School project involves substantial public participation. In the third phase the department encourages each and every South African to contribute to the project. South African citizens and institutions are encouraged to pledge a flag or a flag pole or both to a school or schools of their choice which do not already have flags. R6 million has been set aside for this phase of the project which aims to install 6000 flags and flag poles. The department will also stage 3 exhibitions in 3 provinces this year.

To keep the spirit of the 2010 FIFA World Cup alive, the department will continue to distribute South African hand held flags at major events through out the country. There is a need to form closer working relationships with private sector institutions and civic organisations as the responsibility of flying the South African flag high lies with all South Africans, not just the Government, or the Department of Arts and Culture. Working together with all stake holders we are in a position to make the South African Flag the most desired flag in the world.

PPP Proposal for the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa (NARSSA) incorporating Presidential Archives/Library

Proposal to do the PPP NARSSA incorporating Presidential Archives/Library, National Film Video And Sound Archives (NFVSA) and Records Centres has been submitted, because the NARSSA building in 24 Hamilton Street, Arcadia was erected in the 1960’s and many structural issues were not taken into consideration when the building was erected - hence the challenges that are being experienced today.  The NFVSA building in Church Street was also not purpose-built for archival preservation of records.  They were houses that were renovated and converted for the preservation of South Africa’s audio-visual collection.

Since the NARSSA building in Hamilton Street is now full to capacity, there are no new accruals (transfers) that can be accepted.  The NARSSA has now resorted to recommending private storage to government departments.  It should be noted that these companies are not controlled by the NARSSA; therefore if anything happens to records, whilst in their care, NARSSA will not be in a position to do anything about the matter.

UNESCO’S Memory Of The World (MoW) Programme

MoW is a documented, collective memory of the peoples of the world and their documentary heritage representing a large proportion of the world’s cultural heritage. It charts the evolution of thought, discovery and achievement of human society. It is the legacy of the past to the world community of the present and the future. South Africa nominated 3 ( Medu Ensemble Collection, the CODESA and Multiparty Collections) more collections for the listing in the MoW international register. If approved there will be a total of 7 SA collections in the International Register.

Annual National Oral History Conference

The National Archives and Records Service of South Africa will once again host the Annual National Oral History Conference in the North West Province on 11- 14 October 2011 in partnership with the North West Archives and the Oral History Association of South Africa. The theme for the conference is Past Distortions, Present Realities; (Re)Construction(S) and (Re)Configuration(S) Of Oral History with sub-themes on The role and or significance of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in oral history, oral history and the preservation of Indigenous Africa languages amongst others. The 9th National Oral History Conference will take place in Free State, and will coincide with the Centenary of the Ruling party. The 10th one will be held in the Northern Cape. The conference is a platform used by practitioners to share knowledge on projects conducted which bring about nation building.

Archives National Week

The Archives National Week is celebrated by all public Archives to raise awareness about the profession, the services and the types of records that each repository preserve. This week is celebrated during the month of May; members of the public get an opportunity to see what takes place” behind the scenes”. Private Archives are urged to participate in the Archives Week as they house some non- public records.

Source: Kha ri Ambre 3, Department of Arts and Culture website

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