Zimbabwean police seize photos on exhibition
Zimbabwe police seized all the photographs from a Harare exhibition depicting repression under President Robert Mugabe. They also arrested Okay Machisa, head of Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation (Zimrights), the rights body that had organised the show. The images showed victims of violence: Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai with head injuries from an assault, police breaking up peace demonstrations and Mugabe praying, as well as pictures of members of the coalition government. Cynthia Manjoro, spokesperson for Zimrights, said the exhibition aimed to “make people look at where we have been and to try to make sure we don't go there again.” She added, “It is about national healing and that we are begging for a truth and reconciliation commission.”
Police were forced to return the photographs after a court ruling that images of injured protesters could be shown.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/zim_photos/
Discovery of a new species of hominid
Professor Lee Berger of the University of the Witwatersrand and his team have announced the discovery of two fossils, almost two million years old, at a site in the Cradle of Humankind. The fossils, dubbed Australopithecus sediba, were described by Berger as a “Rosetta Stone into the past” because of the clues they may yield to unlocking human origins. Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe referred to the hominids as “time travellers [who] have found their way into the present, and, with the assistance of our scientists, are able to speak to us from the distant past”. The announcement of this discovery has aroused interest around the world.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/new_hominid/
The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) takes action to save South African treasures
SAHRA has taken firm action to save some South African treasures – including a signed copy of the Freedom Charter, two paintings by George Pemba and one by J.H. Pierneef – from being sold on auction in London.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/sahra_acts/
Department of Arts and Culture Budget 2010/2011
The Department of Arts and Culture presented an overview of its Medium-Term Economic Framework (MTEF) expenditure trends from 2006 to 2010 to the Portfolio Committee. The department’s budget has grown at an average annual rate of 25.6%. The 41% increase in expenditure on Heritage Promotion (Declared Cultural Institutions/National Museums, National Heritage Council (NHC), South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) and Geographical Names) can be attributed to investment in capital works projects, such as Freedom Park and to the upgrading and maintenance of museums. The 26% increase in expenditure on National Archives, Records, Libraries and Heraldic Services is attributed to improvements to public and community library services.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/dac_expenditure/
Malawi accedes to two UNESCO Conventions
Congratulations to Malawi on becoming the 122nd state to ratify the Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003)and the 108th state to ratify the Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005).
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/malawi_unesco_conventions/
Google to digitise antique Italian books
The Italian government has signed a deal with Google to put the contents of two national libraries, including works by Dante, Machiavelli and Galileo, on the internet.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/google_ancient_books/
Vatican to digitise manuscripts
The Vatican is set to start digitising the thousands of manuscripts in its library. This project is expected to take ten years!
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/vatican_manuscripts/
Museum of South African Hip Hop opens in Cape Town
A new warehouse-style museum housing vinyl records, old speakers, graffiti and pictures from the 1980s has opened in Cape Town. The museum is intended to be a place where people can reflect on and learn about the past, as well as a place where new talent can be discovered and nurtured.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/hip_hop_museum/
Senegal unveils a monument to the African Renaissance
A monument to the African Renaissance, symbolising Africa emerging from centuries of oppression, has been unveiled on a hill in Dakar, Senegal. This towering monument, which depicts a muscled man rising from a volcano, holding a baby on one shoulder and pulling a scantily dressed woman behind him, is significantly taller than the Statue of Liberty. It has sparked much controversy. Many have spoken out, condemning the expenditure as wasteful when Senegal’s health and education sectors are considered to be in a state of crisis. Some criticise it on the grounds that the woman appears to be subjugated to the male figure and others on the grounds that it goes against the Islamic restriction on depicting the human form.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/senegal_unveils_monument/
Follow-up: Fire at the Tombs of the Buganda Kings at Kasubi
A letter from Rose Nkaale Mwanja, Acting Commissioner of Museums and Monuments Department, Uganda, provides an update on national and international action following the fire that destroyed the Tombs of the Buganda Kings at Kasubi.
http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/fire_ravages_kasubi_tombs/
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