Funding priorities
Cultural Knowledge
Preserving Africa's Diverse Heritage
African Cultural Heritage Documentation Project
In the process of discovery and advancement, popular folklore reminds us that we cannot know where we are going to unless we know where we have been. This is the energy that inspires the work of UCT's Geomatics Department, through the initiative of the Zamani research group. It is a Swahili word, meaning 'the past', and captures the fundamental knowledge framework of re-discovering ancient heritage sites as places that unlock pathways into future innovations. Through the African Cultural Heritage Project, over 80 heritage structures (including many sacred monuments), at over 35 sites across Africa have been digitally documented. From conventional mapping of archaeological sites in the early stages of the project, to highly advanced digital modelling of complex sites in its present phase, the project aims to capture spatial information for a permanent record of heritage sites. This highly valued data is used not only for restoration and conservation purposes, but also as material for teaching and research.
The work of Zamani is supported by UNESCO and co-operates with the Antiquities and Heritage Departments of various African governments. The Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles and the World Monuments Fund in New York, as well as The Mellon Foundation have also added their support to this project. Your partnership will ensure that this treasured work continues to grow, as we strive to secure a further R5 million over the next three years.
The Visual History Project at the Isaac And Jessie Kaplan Centre For Jewish Studies And Research
The Visual History Project aims to make visual material accessible as interactive data for academic study and research. Building on an earlier oral history project conducted in the 1980s, the Centre is now seeking to expand and deepen our understanding of Jewish social history, with the visual material collection being available for both scholarly and general use. The impact of this collection will also be enhanced through the incorporation of oral interviews.
The collections, both photographic and film, trace the journey of Jewish people in South Africa: from the Platteland to the city, from the immigrant to the acculturated and from the 'Jew' to the 'South African'. Interwoven in these journeys is the dynamic notion of Diaspora in the South African and Jewish senses. The family collections are particularly informative in telling stories of migrations that took place over time for a myriad of reasons: political, economic, cultural and personal.
A secondary goal of this project is to unearth the work of many Jewish professional photographers and filmmakers who were associated with studios or made a living from photography on their own. These collections will reveal a wealth of visual material and narratives, very often undervalued and unknown. The Centre is already acquainted with the collections of Jewish studios throughout the country, a profession that was seemingly popular for the newly arrived immigrant.
We look forward to your partnership in meeting our fundraising target of R500 000 for this project. Kaplan Centre Website
The Centre for Popular Memory (CPM)
Histories of struggle, emancipation and traumatic legacies are significant traits within societies and nations on the African continent. The Centre for Popular Memory at UCT is committed to preserving the first person memories of these post-traumatic legacies as a means of having a deeper understanding of such complex trajectories. The CPM is allied with the Historical Studies Department and focuses on African oral history, research and advocacy. It also develops audio visual archival material for digital dissemination. Its research respects the value of multi-lingual approaches in collecting, preserving and creating access to data, along with technologically relevant outputs through academic journals, exhibitions, film and other portable media platforms.
The CPM's African Oral History archive contains over 3000 oral history recordings in 12 languages, many with full transcripts and translations. These collections have been gathered, preserved, migrated and digitised over the past 25 years, and the CPM focuses on developing these scholarly research collections for academic use as critical knowledge systems within a larger South African and international context.
Current lead projects include the 'African Memory Project' (AMP), which aims to increase access and publicity of oral and visual collections in South Africa and the continent. It collaborates with international leaders in fields of oral history and memory studies to engage with Africa-centred research material. 'Memories of Apartheid: Oral History, Research, Archiving' is another pioneering project which focuses on the liberation struggle, with specific emphasis on audio-visual collections of people living in South Africa between 1948 and 1994. The project model has already fostered critical debate in scholarly forums and engages civic society, public intellectuals and develops substantial digital archival Information Technology (IT) solutions. 'Bridging the Digital Divide' is an award-winning project, based in schools, that bridges the generational and cultural divisions between apartheid survivors and their descendants. It further considers the IT skills divide between what is perceived to be a developing country in comparison to first world technology. In joining our appeal, you will help us reach our fund raising target of R2.5million a year, over five years, to preserve the global research value of these rich and diverse archival collections and socially responsive programme. Centre for Popular Memory website
| Your partnership will ensure that this treasured work continues to grow, as we strive to secure a further R5 million over the next three years. |
| We look forward to your partnership in meeting our fundraising target of R500 000 for this project. |
| In joining our appeal, you will help us reach our fundraising target of R2.5 million a year, over five years, to preserve the global research value of these rich and diverse archival collections and socially responsive programmes. |