The National Archives and Records Services of South Africa together with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture will be hosting National Archives Awareness Week from Monday, 05 until Friday, 09 June 2023. The awareness week will be celebrated at various venues in Kimberley and its surroundings within the Frances Baard District. The event will be officially opened by Deputy Minister for Sport, Arts and Culture Ms. Nocawe Mafu together with her Northern Cape counterpart MEC Desery Fienies. It will be marked under the theme "“Leave No One Behind: Archives In The Era Of Artificial Intelligence” #Aw2023 #ArchivesAreYou.
The National Archives Week has its origins in the appointment of a Chief Archivist for the union of South Africa in 1919 and the promulgation of the first archives Act in 1922. A decision was taken by International Council on Archives (ICA) during the 2007 International Congress that countries celebrate Archives Week Annually in their respective countries. Furthermore, the date, June 9, was chosen to commemorate the day.
The aim of the event is to popularise the profession and get to engage communities around the importance of archives in the preservation of societal memory. During a week long programme, members of the public will be given access to archival buildings for them to witness their important functions and services. The programme will also see the promotion of national symbols and flag hoisting at some of identified schools within the district.
When South Africa gained its Freedom on 27 April 1994, the new government started a new process of transforming the country and putting in place new legislation that would enable it to govern under the new Constitutional dispensation. The archival legislation had to also undergo changes. The post democratic legislation became known as the NASA Act of 1996 and underwent a further amendment under the Second Cultural laws 2001 to be known as the National Archives and Records Service Act of 1996 as amended. The latter legislation disposed of the Archives Commission replacing it with the National Archives Advisory Council; designated a National Archivist appointed by the Minister and the DG; strengthened the powers of the National Archivists; and made provision for the collection of the nation’s oral memories.
In South Africa, archives have been deliberately kept in obscurity as the result of the machinations of the previous dispensation. Collection policies under the apartheid regime were biased and aligned with the political agenda of the time and excluded large parts of the population, ignoring the proper demographic makeup of the country. The existing collections do not only have gaps in the overall collective memory of the country but reflect a very western perspective where some facts might have been distorted and brimming with derogatory language as it was promoted then. The Celebration of the Annual National Archives Awareness Week is intended to promote the use of Archives and the profession in general, services archives offer to the public, and processes needed to access classified information.
Currently the department is looking at amending the National Archives and Records Service Act of 1996 as amended to keep it up with challenges to address 4IR; updating of terminologies, increment of penalties and the need to establish cooperation with newer bodies such as the Information Regulator.
Of the programmes to be hosted in the Northern Cape is as follows
05 JUNE 2023
FLAG HOISTING PROGRAM
VENUE : RIETVALE PRIMARY SCHOOL
RITCHIE
TIME : 07H30
OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF NATIONAL ARCHIVES WEEK
VENUE : GALESHEWE RECREATIONAL CENTRE
KIMBERLEY
TIME : 09H30
09 JUNE 2023
CLOSING CEREMONY OF NATIONAL ARCHIVES WEEK
VENUE : KHOTSO FLATELA ARCHIVES REPOSITORY
TIME : 09H30
The above-mentioned programmes will be led by the Deputy Minister of Sport , Arts and Culture Ms Nocawe Mafu and the MEC for Sport , Arts and Culture Ms Desery Fienies.
For Media Enquiries:
Ms. Zimasa Velaphi | Head of Communications and Marketing | 072 172 8925 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Mr Conrad Fortune / Media Liaison Officer : NC Sport , Arts and Culture / 0798730679 / Email : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Mr Morapedi Sekhoane / Communications Manager : NC Sport , Arts and Culture 078 944 0200 : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF SPORT, ARTS AND CULTURE
