Latest news with #NationalArchivesAwarenessWeek
The Citizen
17-05-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Department celebrates National Archives Awareness Week in Secunda
The Department of Culture, Sports and Recreation hosted the annual National Archives Awareness Week session at the Lillian Ngoyi Centre in Secunda on May 8. The theme 'Digital Footprints: Archives and Records Management in the Digital Era', highlighted the growing importance of digital records and the transformation of archival practices in the modern age. According to the department, the event aimed to raise awareness of the archival profession and teach communities about the critical role of archives in preserving societal memory. The week-long initiative encourages effective record-keeping practices and opens archival buildings to the public, providing insight into the functions and services of archival institutions. Among the presenters was Professor Sekibakiba Lekgoathi from Wits University, who delivered a talk titled, Soundtrack of the Conflict: Radio Freedom and the Liberation Struggle in South Africa. Lekgoathi explored the history of radio in SA, emphasising its dual role as a tool of oppression and a medium of liberation during the country's struggle for freedom. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The South African
08-05-2025
- General
- The South African
Inside an archive: Family ‘surprises', earthquakes and land claims
National Archives Awareness Week is currently underway from 5 to 9 May. As the Western Cape Archives and Records Service runs workshops to teach members of the public about the repository, we explore what exactly can be found out by digging into history. The Western Cape Archives and Records Service is South Africa's oldest such service. It contains some of South Africa's earliest written records, starting from 1651. This week, the institution is running a daily programme, focused on digitalisation, to encourage South Africans to make good use of the documents. There are various events online and in-person in Cape Town. The week culminates with a free Family History Workshop for beginners in central Cape Town on Friday. According to Helen Joannides, an archivist in the Public Programmes and Outreach Division of the Western Cape Archives and Records Service, the institution has made important contributions to South African families. She told The South African: 'The archives have been used by many families to delve into their family history so you can imagine the surprises there.' Indeed, social media platforms like Reddit are full of stories of South Africans discovering secret family members. Comment by from discussion inGenealogy Joannides adds: 'Archival records are also legal proof so they have been used for successful land claims.' For example, Joannides describes how renters, who had lived in District Six prior to the Apartheid-era forced removals, used an archival document to prove they had been residents in the area and to successfully institute a compensation claim. The document was a register from a hospital which recorded the addresses of patients. Archives are also used to research historic earthquakes. This data helps scientists better prepare for future earthquakes. Interested persons can sign up on the Western Cape Archives and Records Service website. The family history workshop will be repeated later in the year. South Africans can also visit the archives at 72 Roeland Street, Cape Town from 08:00 to 16:00 from Monday to Friday, and from 08:00 to 14:00 on the first and third Saturday of the month. Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
