UNESCO New Delhi organized an online event to commemorate the 30th anniversary of its Memory of the World (MoW) Programme entitled “Keeping the Memory of the World Alive” on 28 October 2022. The programme aimed to highlight the significance of preserving documentary heritage and what it means for diverse cultures and communities.
The records of humanistic, artistic and creative expressions, form a vital part of our documentary heritage and are a source of connectivity and resilience for our communities. This dialogue intends to open conversations among people from various cultures, and to encourage accessibility of documentary heritage as widely as possible.
Mr Hezekiel Dlamini, Advisor for Communication and Information for South Asia, UNESCO
A publication entitled “What will the World Remember: UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme in South Asia” was also launched on the occasion. The information booklet provides a glimpse of documentary heritages from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
There is true synergy between the MoW programme, the activities of documentary linguists and of Indigenous communities aiming to revitalize, preserve, disseminate, and celebrate their languages.
Ms Shobhana Chelliah, Associate Dean of Research & Advancement, Uni of North Texas
The e-launch was followed by a panel discussion to examine and deliberate on how the preservatory practices can play a role in shaping an inclusive society. Experts from Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka also shared the advance techniques used by their respective governments for preserving documentary heritage.
In order to make the MoW Programme impactful we need to create more awareness regarding community archiving methods in urban and indigenous communities.
Mr Chandan Sinha, Director General, National Archives of India
The discussions also highlighted the challenges institutions in the region encounter while implementing preservation activities. The speakers underlined the necessity of adopting new perspectives to generate awareness regarding documentary heritage in South Asia.
UNESCO marks the 30th anniversary of the MoW Programme under the global theme “Enlisting documentary heritage to promote inclusively, just, and peaceful societies”. The vision of the Memory of the World Programme is that the world’s documentary heritage belongs to all, should be fully preserved, and protected for all and, with due recognition of cultural mores and practicalities, should be permanently accessible to all without hindrance. UNESCO promotes dialogue and understanding between people and cultures for the preservation of and access to documentary heritage.
Download the publication here.
Other Relevant Links:
General Guidelines of the Memory of the World (MoW) Programme
3rd Memory of the World Global Policy Forum
For further information, contact:
Hezekiel Dlamini h.dlamini@unesco.org(link sends e-mail)
Rama Dwivedi r.dwivedi@unesco.org(link sends e-mail)
