Priceless heritage of our collective memory

Ranjan K Baruah

(With direct inputs from UN/WHO publication and feedback may be sent to bkranjan@gmail.com)

Photo albums were in demand when we visited any relatives during our childhood days. We did not have mobile phones or digital cameras during those times. We used cameras and kept hard copies of our memories in photo albums. Photo albums were part of documentation of our memories. We know that archives are always important whether for academic or non-academic purposes. There were many ways to preserve archives but now we have technology to store archives.

As we were discussing about photographs stored inside an album in the hard format, similarly audiovisual archives tell us stories about people's lives and cultures from all over the world. These archives tell us the stories which may be involving a few individuals or even involvement of countries. They represent a priceless heritage which is an affirmation of our collective memory and a valuable source of knowledge since they reflect the cultural, social and linguistic diversity of our communities. They also help us to grow and comprehend the world we all share. Conserving this heritage and ensuring that it remains accessible to the public and the future generations is a vital goal for all memory institutions, as well as the public at large.

Though there have been celebrations in the past, many of us may not be aware of the importance of the heritage of the audiovisual mode. To promote it, a special day has been designated by the United Nations. Known as the 'WDAH' (The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage), it provides an occasion to raise general awareness on the need to initiate urgent measures and to acknowledge the importance of audiovisual documents. The 33rd session of UNESCO's General Conference adopted 33 C/Resolution 53 to proclaim 27 October as WDAH, in commemoration of the adoption, in 1980 during the 21st session of the General Conference. It followed the recommendation for the safeguarding and preservation 'Moving Images'.

The day provide an opportunity for Member States to evaluate their performance to implement the '2015 Recommendation Concerning the Preservation of, and Access to, Documentary Heritage, Including in Digital Form', and it promotes the free flow of ideas by word and image as representations of our shared heritage and memory.

Through initiatives such as the WDAH, the Memory of the World Programme, and UNESCO Archives project the move for "Digitizing our shared UNESCO history", the work of preservation professionals is encouraged. It is done to manage the range of technical, political, social, financial and other factors that threaten the safeguarding of our audiovisual heritage. The WDAH is a key initiative for both the UNESCO and the Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA) to honour the audiovisual preservation professionals and institutions that safeguard our heritage for the future generations.

Past Observances with themes

• 2020: "Your Window to the World"

• 2019: "Engage the Past Through Sound and Images"

• 2018: "Your story is moving!"

• 2017: "Discover, Remember and Share"

• 2016: "It's Your Story: Don't Lose It"

• 2015: "Archives at Risk: Protecting the World's Identities"

• 2014: "Archives at Risk: Much more to do"

• 2013: "Saving Our Heritage for the Next Generation"

• 2012: "Audiovisual heritage memory? The clock is ticking"

• 2011: "Audiovisual Heritage: See, Hear, and Learn"

• 2010: "Save and Savour your Audiovisual Heritage - Now!"

There is no doubt that audiovisual materials can tell our story, our truth, and our presence. They provide a window to the world, allowing us to observe events we cannot attend, hear voices from the past who can no longer speak, and craft stories that inform and entertain. Audiovisual content plays an increasingly vital role in our lives as we seek to understand the world and engage with society. Sound recordings and moving images are extremely vulnerable as they can be quickly and deliberately destroyed. Great speeches and motivating lectures must be archived to inspire the young generation in a positive way. It is interesting to learn that the UN Audiovisual Library has over 6,330 hours of historical content in 35, 16 and 8-mm film and 49,400 hours of video stored in its off-site archives. India's National Cultural Audiovisual Archives (NCAA) is one of the trusted digital repositories. The primary objective of the NCAA is to identify and preserve the cultural heritage of India available in audiovisual form through a process of digitalization and making it accessible to the people. Let us take the opportunity of the day and get engaged in activities which would help us to preserve our audio visual heritage.