Lessons from World War II and the Holocaust: What can be Done through Oral History to Save the World Heritage of Memory in Africa?

Abstract

The recent conflicts in Timbuktu, Egypt, Libya and other countries in Africa demonstrate that its cultural heritage as contained in libraries and archives is routinely targeted for destruction and remains vulnerable throughout times of strife. To complicate the problem, much of Africa’s recorded history is the production of Western scholars or is represented by “official” government records. As a result, much of Africa’s recorded history is compromised, inaccurate, or an insufficient reflection of the continent’s rich history and culture. The challenges faced by many African countries to preserve their cultural heritage, then, exceed the mere preservation of artifacts and records. They must also seek out, elicit and record the recollections and experiences of ordinary people. In fact, the people’s collective memory is a valuable, yet untapped, resource for historians and is an option for preserving African cultural heritage. Perhaps the most famous and powerful leveraging of such oral histories has been demonstrated by the Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and the scholars and archivists who recorded their stories. This collaboration between storyteller and archivists, journalists, scholars and librarians is exemplified by Dr. Sidney Bolkosky, Professor of History and Director of the Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Greenspan’s seminal 1998 work On Listening to Holocaust Survivors: Beyond Testimony is now in a second, expanded edition;...