Patrimony, Power and Politics: Selecting, Constructing and Preserving Digital Heritage Content in South Africa and Africa

Abstract

Memory institutions in South Africa and Africa, as digital heritage content creators and custodians, are engaging in a political, social, ideological and technological site of struggle. The decisions about what to digitise for long term preservation, why and also how this information is made accessible, speaks to notions of information control, the state of the archive, power, resources and passivity.

This paper will examine various African initiatives and collaborations to create and preserve digital heritage content. it will also explore the current infrastructure in place in south Africa to ensure and long-term and sustainable preservation of the digital heritage assets.