Mind the practice gap: improving the interface between theory and practice
Harriet Deacon reflects on the need to bring heritage practitioners and theorists together.
A human resource strategy for the heritage sector?
Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya wonders about the various strategies proposed for the sector!
From memory to archive
Jo-Anne Duggan reflects on how, why and when memory becomes archive.
The Archival Platform participates in #AskArchivists Day on Twitter
Harriet Deacon reports on the role of the Archival Platform in #AskArchivists Day on Twitter.
Freedom in the age of democracy
Thokozani Mhlabi draws parallels between his experiences of freedom and house music and asks some penetrating questions.
Youth Day and active citizenship
As we celebrate youth month, Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya wonders at the manner in which young people exert their citizenship in contemporary South Africa.
Rethinking our national archive: how can civil society play a role?
Jo-Anne Duggan suggests that we should be asking if rather than when the National Archives Advisory Council should be re-appointed and call for a more radical rethink of the national archival system.
Not yet Uhuru
As we celebrate Africa Day on the 25th of May , Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya reminds us of the events and ideals that inspired the declaration of Africa Freedom Day in 1958, and asks whether Africa can really claim to be free.
Use the archive to deepen democracy!
At a time when South Africa is focused on local government elections, Jo-Anne Duggan reminds us that the archive has a vital role to play in deepening democracy.
Archives: from the past, in the present, for the future?
Jo-Anne Duggan uses the story of Katsurato Hamada, an elderly Japanese man who died trying to retrieve a family photograph album, to reflect on the role of the archive in relation to the past, present and future.
The economics of “heritage” in South Africa
Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya comments on some of the issues to be addressed as the sector faces up to the challenge of playing a greater role in job creation and economic development
Food nominations to the Intangible Heritage Convention’s Lists
In an earlier post, Harriet Deacon discussed the rise of food heritage as a hot new topic. In this one, she describes how this trend has played out in the Lists of the Intangible Heritage Convention.
Digital repositories. What, how, where?
Roger Layton offers a word of advice for those currently engaged in digitisaton, or planning a digitisation project: before you get started, ask where you will house your digital objects and how they will be managed.
Identity, heritage and food: Why food is a hot new heritage topic
Harriet Deacon finds that food is rapidly becoming a hot topic of interest, not just for historians and archivists, but for heritage and museum professionals too.
Traces of a humble life: the archival fragment
Jo-Anne Duggan reflects on the death of a humble man and asks, where is the record of this man’s 58 years on earth?
Human rights for the dead?
Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya commemorates Human Right Day in South Africa by exploring the notion of human rights for the dead.
From Cape Town to Timbuktu: A Novice Traveller’s Reflections, Part 1
Mbongiseni Buthelezi reports back on a ‘life-changing” trip to Timbuktu
Are we using the power of the archive for social justice?
As we celebrate World Day of Social Justice, Uthando Baduza asks if we are harnessing the power of the archive for social justice and change fully.
Fomenting or recording revolution
Uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt have drawn attention to the power of social Media to organise and record social action.
Celebrating Martin Luther King Day and the struggle for black recognition
Thokozani Mhlambi comments on Martin Luther King Day in the United States of America and considers some of the debates around naming and memory, in relation to heritage in South Africa.
Where to from here? The National Skills Development Strategy 2011-2016
Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya writes about the implications of the new landscape for education and training on the cultural heritage and creative industries sectors.
The work of memory
Dealing with memory is hard work! Jo-Anne Duggan looks at some of the issues that challenge us - as individuals, organisations and as a nation.
Today's news is tomorrow's history
Jo-Anne Duggan reflects on efforts to control the free flow of information, and initiatives aimed at giving voice to marginalised people.
Improvised redress and deferred reconciliation
Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya writes about the exhumation, handover and reburial of the remains of those reported missing during the Truth and Reconciliation Commision hearings.
Archival Platform Newsletter: Editors Note November 2010
A quick guide to what’s new on the webiste this month
Enjoying sacred spaces
Xolelwa Kashe Katiya reflects on the role and function of coffee shops in two different Cape Town memory initiatives.
The George Museum: Creating a Dialogue with our Colonial Past?
Utando Baduza visits the george Museum and wonders how it will address the challenge of creating a meaningful dialogue between the colonial past and recent South African history.
Archival Platform Editorial November 2010: The right to information
In the hullabaloo surrounding the POIB one critical factor seems to have been missed. The controls proposed are not new. The draconian provisions of the Protection of Information Act of 1982, promulgated at the height of apartheid, are still in force. Many of the 'new' controls of the POIB are far more benign that those contained in the 1982 Act.
Black History Month is racist!
Thokozani Mhlambi raises concerns about Black History Month
Staking a claim? Autobiographies, foundations and other personality-based memory initiatives
Jo-Anne Duggan and Noel Solani comment on the names that mark the landscape of our national memory, suggesting that these point in two different directions, to the will to remember or commemorate, and the need to leave a legacy or make a mark. Duggan and Solanie note the recent upsurge in the commemoration of individual achievements through annual lectures and foundations and ask whether these are a welcome breath of fresh air or whether they advance factional battles and/or individual agendas? Whatever the answer they conclude, the business of memory is opening up!
Online tools for the participatory archive
Harriet Deacon discusses some of the ways in which interactive web 2.0 tools are used for encouraging public participation in archives and heritage work.
Addressing skills gaps in the heritage sector: Institutions of higher learning
Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya writes about heritage, museums and curation training at four tertiary institutions.
Biography of a Colonial Music Archive: The Percival Kirby Collection
Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya writes about the Kirby Collection at the South African College of Music (University of Cape Town)
Using new media for heritage management, part 1: Performing Mandela’s cell
Harriet Deacon considers ways in which visitors to museums 'perform' heritage, using media such as Flikr.
The right to memory
Jo-Anne Duggan asks, if memory matters, how should it be defined and protected?
The Archival Platform. Who are we? Where are we going?
Jo-Anne Duggan reflects on the Archival Platform vision and mandate.