The annual provincial Libraries, Archives, Museum and Language Services conference takes place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre in Durban tomorrow, 24th November. It will run through to the 26th under the theme ‘Building One Nation’.
On the first day of the event, the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Arts and Culture will launch its KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Preservation Initiative (KZNHPI). The KZNHPI will create a unique digitised record of all the province’s accumulated heritage for future generations.
This information will be made available via an online interactive website consisting of, among other things, photographs, videos and oral recordings. The content will appeal to all sections of our society for purposes ranging from general interest to in-depth research.
Linked to the initiative is the establishment of a “green plaque” sub-programme which will provide recognisable markers in the form of engraved plaques to identify sites of heritage interest. Highlighting these locations and providing background information on them not only benefits the historical preservation of these sites but also acts as a catalyst for tourism. All sites will be Global Positioning System (GPS) marked and linked to the online portal and mobile application for referencing via a Quick Response (QR) Code.
This will allow tourists and scholars to easily access and interact with the locations and the information surrounding it. Existing provincial heritage routes will be linked to the portal and the content therein. It is proposed that numerous green plaques be rolled out across the province over the next 20 years.
The KZNHPI will comprise of six main pillars:
- The building of an online heritage portal that will interactively display heritage content.
- An active program that will be aimed at collecting and preserving heritage content.
- Building capacity to house and display heritage content.
- Educate and train young people to inherit this resource.
- Establish an artifact repatriation and exchange program.
- A “Green Plaque” program that will mark significant sites across the province.
The KZNHPI will be established inside the Department Arts and Culture, but will also collectively work with all other departments and stakeholders in the province to achieve its goal of preserving our heritage.
The conference will also focus on the interaction between innovative ideas, technologies and services. It aims to bridge the information divide in the province and help communities’ better access information. The programme will also include an exhibition, reading and writing competition, poetry festival and a tour to Inanda Seminary.
A video recording of Isanusi Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa speaking about African cosmology and intellectual heritage will be aired at the conference. Arts and Culture MEC Ntombikayise Sibhidla-Saphetha will deliver the keynote address. Other speakers include Dr. Tobias Schonwetter, Director of the Intellectual Property Law and Policy Unit at the University of Cape Town, Secretary for Defence and Military Veterans Dr Sam Gulube, storyteller and author Mama Nomusa Xaba and motivational speaker Tebogo Ditshego.
Date: 24 - 26 November 2015
Time: 8h00 – 16h00
Place: Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (Durban ICC)
For more information please contact:
Lethukuthula Mtshali
Cell: 081 037 8321
Noloyiso Mbalane
Cell: 060 587 5575
