Under a democratic dispensation in South Africa, which recognises eleven official languages, language is still used to divide and segregate people and different cultures. The examples of how languages have divided South Africa from colonial times to the current dispensation are evident in archival collections housed by the country's public archives services. A qualitative study was undertaken to identify all the languages of the different archival collections held by the public archives services in South Africa. Utilising a postmodernist ontology, this paper investigates the challenges pertaining to the large volumes of collections where access is restricted due to language barriers with limited assistance to provide translation services.
In the light of student protests in 2015 and 2016 relating to the #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall movements, the significance of the historical discourse has been sidelined. This concept paper discusses the role of digital technologies as platforms to capture and disseminate oral histories, audio-visual sources, historical writings and indigenous knowledge in order to tackle environmental concerns. In South Africa, there is a moral responsibility to encourage previously ignored communities and individuals to collect and share their experiences and knowledge, particularly where this knowledge may be valuable in tackling contemporary challenges. Through better utilisation of oral histories, oral traditions, audio-visual sources, historical writings and indigenous knowledge -as well as better access facilitated by means of digital technologies -the sustainability of historical discourse, the asset-worth of these sources and the viability of the archival institutions and the similar heritage entities housing these items, could be assured. Historians and archivists need to engage actively in highlighting collections, demonstrating their relevance to contemporary challenges and interacting with society at large to ensure that the histories recorded, captured and disseminated represent all communities. Better dissemination of these information sources could provide more effective solutions to deal with contemporary environmental concerns, such as climate change.Key words: Indigenous knowledge; oral history; oral traditions; public archival institutions; heritage entities; digitisation; iSimangaliso Wetland; climate change. OpsommingIn die lig van student protesaksie wat verband hou met die #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall bewegings in 2015 en 2016, blyk dit asof die belangrikheid van die historiese diskoers eenkant toe gekuif is. Hierdie konsepartikel bespreek die rol van digitale tegnologie as 'n platform waarop omgewingskwessies aangespreek kan word * Isabel Schellnack-Kelly is a senior lecturer in the Unisa Department of Information Science, her e-mail address is schelis@unisa.ac.za; and Veli Jiyane is an associate professor in the Unisa Department of Information Science, her e-mail address is jiyangv@unisa.ac.za Schellnack-Kelly and Jiyane -Tackling environmental issues in the digital age 113 deur mondelinge geskiedenis, oudiovisuele bronne, historiese geskrifte en inheemse kennis vas te lê en te versprei. In Suid-Afrika is daar ʼn morele verantwoordelikheid om gemeenskappe en individue, wat voorheen geïgnoreer is, aan te moedig om hulle kennis en ervaring te deel. Dit geld veral waar hierdie kennis en ervaring van waardevol kan wees om kontemporêre uitdagings aan te pak. Die volhoubaarheideur van die historiese diskoers en die waardetoevoeging van digitale bronne kan verseker word deur mondelinge geskiedenis, oudiovisuele bronne, historiese geskrifte en inheemse kennis deur middel van digitale tegnologie vas te lê en te versprei. Die aktiewe betrokkenheid van historici en argivarisse by alle gemeenskappe...
This paper explores the conflicting roles of archivists in the execution of their archival mandates in directing the management, preservation and disposition of current public records. A comprehensive understanding of the dynamics being encountered by the South African public archivists contextualises the conditions in which these officials provide guidance to the current dispensation. A post-modernism approach and Frank Upward's Australian continuum model 1 have been explored and contextualised in the milieu of post-apartheid South Africa. The article proposes a two-pronged strategy for a more comprehensive approach from the public archivists and their interactions with the records management practitioners, by applying Oliver and Foscarini's record keeping informatics pyramid. 2 Firstly, public archivists and practitioners should have as their objective the formulation of effective solutions which consider the skills, knowledge and expertise of officials tasked with the responsibilities of implementing and maintaining the records management systems. Secondly, the archivists and the records practitioners need to ensure that they equip themselves with knowledge that enables them to have broadened, contextualised understanding of the environmental parameters within which the information sources need to be utilised by the current dispensation. Public entities must be able to find the information sources required to address poverty, support sustainable development undertakings and the National Development Plan. These sources must also serve purposes such as justice, providing evidence of transparency and accountability.
The importance of oral tradition, indigenous stories and the knowledge and wisdom contained therein are fundamental to undertake as many initiatives as possible to protect the continent’s fauna and flora from extinction. This article is a phenomenological qualitative study. It is based on an extensive content analysis of literature, oral histories, photographs and audiovisual footage concerning narratives and folklore relating to Africa’s fauna and flora. For the purposes of this article, the content sample focuses specifically on narratives related to the African elephant, black rhinoceros and the lion. The article also relates to experiences of individuals in Kenya and South Africa involved in conservation efforts to protect Africa’s wildlife. The geographical proximity of the collected narratives stretches from the Timbavati, in South Africa, through to Northern Kenya. This article illustrates how indigenous knowledge and oral histories have influenced Western mythology and thinking. The article also explores the significance attached by scholars to the continent’s oral histories and indigenous knowledge and links knowledge to Jung, astrology and ancient symbolism. The discussion emphasises the importance of good conservation strategies for all areas of Africa to protect the fauna and flora as well as Africa’s oral histories and indigenous knowledge.
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