29 Oct 2023

Archival institutions have been urged to go digital for their survival.

Speaking at the commemoration of World Day for Audio-Visual Heritage in Gaborone Friday, Director of National Archives of Zimbabwe Brenda Mamvura said with advent of 4th industrial revolution, archival institutions should reconsider analogue scenarios and find ways to leverage ICT for enhanced service delivery.

“Digitisation is the way to go if we are to survive as an archival institution. With the growing number of equipment in the audio-visual archives industry becoming obsolete, rendering national heritage inaccessible, digitising our film collection to formats readable by computers is now a matter of urgency,” Mamvura said.

She implored Botswana National Archives and Records Services to come on board for opportunities to share knowledge and identify areas of cooperation in the achievement of goals as an archival institution.

“The Zimbabwean government is always open to business and cementing cooperation with other states in the region for the attainment of sustainable development goals,” she said, adding that her government achieved digitisation exercise of the nation’s film and sound archives with the help of private partnerships.

Mamvura said audio-visual archives were a collective memory and vital component of heritage. She said they helped in telling a story of people’s experiences worldwide and the cultures behind those people.

“Culture is what we identify with and cherish as a people, it points to our past, present and future aspirations as a people,” said Mamvura.

She therefore said preservation of audio-visual archives was a huge task, which needed expertise and financial support.

Also, she said archiving of audio-visual materials faced challenges such as obsolete equipment, unsuitable environmental conditions for storing films and general technical knowledge on transferring from analogue to digital.

Mamvura said heritage institutions in many developing countries had not put in place measures required for the preservation and management of audio-visual materials.

She said the commemoration of Audio-visual heritage presents Botswana and Zimbabwe with a platform to share experiences on issues that concern their archival institution, especially audio-visual heritage.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, Tebogo Matebesi emphasised the urgency to collaborate, saying a collective would ensure a robust infrastructure.

 “A structured collaborative approach will help us harness the potential of digitalisation while preserving the sanctity of our heritage,” Matebesi said.

He said the era of rapid technological advancements called for a renewed focus on the preservation and accessibility of this materials. Matebesi said collaboration, innovation and a determined mind-set will be the guiding light for future endeavours. ENDs