Posted on July 27, 2010
As the Archival Platform (AP) approaches its first anniversary it timely to reflect on what we do and how we do it and to introduce the extended AP Team to our readers.
When I introduce myself as Director of the AP the first question I am asked ,by people who have not heard of the AP, 'what is the Archival Platform and what does it do'. My initial response was to explain that it was a broadly based archival research, networking and advocacy initiative. That answer is only partially correct. It does not, explain why we do what we do, and what it is that sets us apart from any of the professional associations or interest groups active in the sector.
So, I have, in consultation with the rest of the AP Team, prepared a new, slightly longer statement that articulates the broad vision for the Archival Platform.
The Archival Platform is a non-profit initiative, established under the auspices of the University of Cape Town and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, to play a catalytic role in the way in which practitioners, theorists and the general public think about archive and the ways in which the process of archiving is practised in South Africa.
On one hand, the Archival Platform draws attention to the political and social role of archives in deepening democracy, encouraging the exercise of active citizenship, and facilitating the work of building social cohesion in a historically fractured society. On the other, it addresses the specific concerns of the sector- the practical challenges of digitisation, poor communication and coordination, uneven or inadequate funding and training opportunities.
The reach of the Archival Platform encompasses not only the physical records of the country's history, but also the memory, cultural practices and places that tell the story of the past. At the heart of Archival Platform activity is a concern with the archive, the record of the past: the choices and decisions that are made about what is preserved and what it not; the systems that are used to safeguard the archive; the mechanisms through which decisions about what is accessible and what is restricted are made; the ways in which the archive is curated or brought into the public domain and; the purpose to which it is put.
In pursuit of its activities, the Archival Platform engages with researchers , record keepers, government employees, cultural workers, heritage professionals and practitioners, memory activists and theorists, archive creators and users, public and private institutions as well as with organisations and communities. In the coming year we'll be consolidating relationships with existing participants and their institutions and organisations, forging new alliances and partnerships and extending the reach of the Archival Platform deeper into Africa.
While our strategy involves research, networking and advocacy and we intend continuing to make high profile interventions, we are initiating a number of programmes that will provide opportunities for us to work more closely with the individuals, institutions and organisations to test and develop new approaches to some of the issues that challenge the sector.
The Archival Platform website and newsletter will continue to be our primary means of communication but we are planning a series of meetings around the country to enable us to engage face-to-face with others in the sector. We'll continue to offer news and information, but we'll be stepping up the editorial content and drawing in a range of new voices to provide thought provoking opinion pieces. We want to look and feel more like the front-page of the newspaper than the classified section!
Editing the newsletter and the website content is an ongoing but exciting challenge. There is so much happening, so many issues crying out for attention that it is often difficult to decide what to include, what to give prominence to, and what to exclude. So we've developed a hierarchy of priorities. We'll share information about conferences, jobs, training and other opportunities as well as resources, new publications, programmes and exhibitions. We'll track current issues such as the passage of the Protection of Information Bill and ask you to engage with these as and when possible. We'll alert you to new developments, ideas or causes and, we'll rally sectoral and public support for the issues that cut to the heart of our business.
Who are we? The Archival Platform Team includes: Carolyn Hamilton, Verne Harris and Noel Solani, the inaugural Steering Committee who assist us in realising the broad vision for the Archival Platform, as defined in Archives at the Crossroads 2007, the report in which the concept of the Archival Platform was first mooted; Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya, the AP Deputy Director; Mbongiseni Buthelezi, Coordinator of the Ancestral Stories initiative; Thokozani Mhlabi and Utando Baduza, our correspondents, who keep their eyes and ears - and minds - open for new developments and contacts across the country, and to offer insightful opinion pieces; Harriet Deacon, the former director who remains onboard as our international correspondent and Twitter Queen; Colleen Petersen and Marcelle Faure of the Social Anthropology Department, University of Cape Town who offer the AP a very efficient administrative support.
The success of the Archival Platform and its ability to deliver on its mandate depends not only on the members of the Team described above. It depends too on the active open-minded participation of the sector as a whole. We can't give you information unless we know what interests you. We can't pass on information about your activities and programmes unless you share it with us. We can't alert you to issues of concern unless we know what worries you. While we can and will offer our collective opinion on all sorts of issues, we invite you to share your opinions with us too. Send us a blog, add your comment on the website, participate in an online forum or create an avatar to say the things you don't feel comfortable attaching you real name to.
We look forward to engaging with you and working to re-energise and breathe new life into the sector, not just because we are interested in seeing our country's archives working efficiently and effectively, but because we know the archive can and should play a role in deepening our hard-won democracy and building a just and cohesive society. Something I am sure we all aspire to.
