Storify: World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2011 at the SABC

Storify: World Day for Audiovisual Heritage at the SABC

The SABC celebrated World Day for Audiovisual Heritage on 27th Oct 2011 by hosting a traveling exhibition from ILAM called “For Future Generations – Hugh Tracey and the International Library of African Music". The exhibition was up from 5 - 28th October in Auckland Park. 


The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage culminated in a lunch-time concert on 27 October  by Pops Mohamed. Pops Mohamed is a South African musician who promotes our cultural African music tradition by promoting African music with the traditional musical instruments on a modern platform. He says he is on a "mystical African music journey". 


The SABC participation in World Day for Audiovisual heritage was compiled in a Storify with all the relevant posts, updates and tweets about the day, and to highlight the importance of our audiovisual heritage.

Quote from Unesco World Day for Audiovisual heritage:

Sound recordings and moving images are extremely vulnerable as they can be quickly and deliberately destroyed. Essentially emblematic of the 20th century, audiovisual heritage can be irretrievably lost as a result of neglect, natural decay and technological obsolescence. Public consciousness of the importance of preservation of these recordings must be engaged and the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is intended to be the platform for building global awareness.

Some cellphone photos of the Pops Mohamed concert on the 27th Oct.

Pops Mohamed at the lunch-time concert at SABC

Pops Mohamed serenading Florence Moshatana on the mbira

Pops Mohamed playing the kora

Related posts:

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage - 27/10/2011
ILAM Travelling exhibition at the SABC 
SABC Platfontein celebrated World Day for Audiovisual Heritage


Blog post & Storify by Karen du Toit, Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.

SABC Platfontein celebrated World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

Opening: World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

Principal !Xunkhwesa Combined:

Jomo Jonkers

SABC Platfontein, which is the home of X-K Fm, the local San radio station, celebrated World Day for Audiovisual Heritage last week.

Moshe Maghundu, the librarian/archivist, reports about the day:

The people made some noise about World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. 

Information on how technology migrated from old to new helps us to understand where radio comes from.

School children in the audience

 The archivists of X-K FM did a Powerpoint presentation about World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.

Moshe Maghundu

 X-K FM ran a competition based on the Powerpoint presentation. The school children excelled in answering the questions.

There was entertainment by the Platfontein local upcoming artists.
They are looking forward to Pops Mohamed Duo who is coming to train them as part of heritage preservation.

Local upcoming artist mentored by RBF Platfontein: Baka

Local upcoming artist mentored by RBF Platfontein,
Drap JJ Stars on stage

A special thanks to RBF production assistant Rena Maghundu for her technical support at the scene, as well asWilliam Heath for availing the equipment. 

The day was celebrated with great success!

Between Stations....

Between stations, radio stations, that is, there has always been a lot of development and movement here at the SABC.  Broadcasting never has been and never will be a static affair.  If you hear static, well, turn the dial, the radio-friend is there somewhere!  

Recently I had to research the Radio Stations of the SABC, and thought to share a bit of what I learnt, for interest sake.  Please feel free to share YOUR memories of SABC Radio, we would love to hear!

Radio Stations of the SABC:

·         A Programme / English Service (1936/08/01-1985/12/31)

o   Radio South Africa (1986/01/01 – 1995/02/28)

o   SAFM (1995/03/01)

·         B Programme / Afrikaanse Diens (1937/10/27 – 1985/12/31)

o   Radio Suid-Afrika (1986/01/01 – 1991/09/30)

o   Afrikaans Stereo )1991/10/01 – 1996/09/30)

o   Radio Sonder Grense / RSG (1996/10/01)

·         Radio Lourenco Marques / LM Radio (1935 / 1972/06/01 by SABC – 1975/10/12)

o   Radio 5 (1975/10/13 – 1992)

o   5 FM (1992)

·         The Voice of South Africa (1951/12)

o   Radio RSA (1966/05/01)

o   Channel Africa (1992/10) – funded by the State

·         Springbok Radio (1950/05/31 – 1985/12/31)

·         Radio Bantu (1960/01/01)

o   Radio Sesotho (1962/01/01)

§  Lesedi FM (1996)

o   Radio Zulu (1962/01/01)

§  Ukhozi FM (1996)

o   Radio Setswana (1962/06/01)

§  Motsweding FM (1996)

o   Radio Lebowa (1962/06/01)

§  Thobela FM (1996)

o   Schools  Radio Service (1964)

o   Radio Tsonga (1/21965)

§  Munghana Lonene FM (1996)

o   Radio Venda (1965)

§  Phala Phala FM (1996)

o   Radio Xhosa (1966)

§  Umhlobo Wenene FM (1996)

o   Radio Swazi (1982)

§  Ligwalagwala FM (1996)

o   Radio Ndebele (16/3/1983)

§  Ikwekwezi FM (1996)

·         Radio Good Hope / Radio Goeie Hoop (1965/07/01 – 1992)

o   Good Hope FM (1992)

o   Also Good Hope Stereo / Goeie Hoop Stereo

·         Radio Ovambo (1969/11 – 1979/05) – in SWA till SWABC/SWAUK came into being

·         Radio Herero (1969/11 – 1979/05) – in SWA till SWABC/SWAUK came into being 

·         Radio Damara Nama (1969/11 – 1979/05) – in SWA till SWABC/SWAUK came into being 

·         Radio Kavango (1972/02-1979/05) – in SWA till SWABC/SWAUK came into being 

·         Radio Lotus (1983/01/08)

o   LotusFM (??)

·         Radio Metro (1986/09/01 - 1998)

o   Metro FM (1998)

·         Radio 2000 (1987/01/01)

·         X-K FM (2000/08)

·         CKI FM (2002/09 by SABC, prior Ciskei station)

o   TruFM (2008)

·         Radio Allegro (1985/06/01 – 1993)

·         Radio Orion (1982/05/01-1990/12/31)

Separate channels funded by the state and managed on behalf of the state by the SABC:

·         Radio Bob

·         Radio Sunshine / Radio Sonskyn

Stations sold by the SABC in 1996:

·         Radio Highveld/Radio Hoëveld (1964/09/01- 1988/04/01) 

o   Highveld Stereo / Hoëveld Stereo (1988/04/01)  (current – NOT SABC) – sold in 1996

o   Radio Jacaranda / Jakaranda (1985/07/01 -1994/05/31)

o   Jacaranda/Jakaranda 94-97 FM (1994/06/01-??) 

§  Jacaranda/Jakaranda Stereo (??) – Sold in 1996

§  Jacaranda / Jakaranda FM (current – NOT SABC)

·         Radio Port Natal 

o   RPN Stereo

o   East Coast Radio (Current – NOT SABC) – Sold in 1996

·         Radio Oranje (1985/06/01 – 1996) – Sold in 1996

o   OFM (current – NOT SABC)

·         Radio Algoa (1986/01/01 – 1996) – Sold in 1996

o   Algoa FM (current – NOT SABC)

·         Radio Kontrei (1990-1991) 

o   Kfm (1991) (Current – NOT SABC) – sold in 1996

ILAM travelling exhibition at SABC: For Future Generations – Hugh Tracey and the International Library of African Music

The four interns of the SABC Radio Archives, which form part of the SABC Media Libraries, visited the ILAM travelling exhibition in the SABC foyer in Auckland Park. The exhibition will still be here until the 28th of October 2011.

"For future generations - Hugh Tracey and the International Library of African Music".

It is as part of the build up towards the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage on the 27th of October 2011 next week.
ILAM stands for International Library of African Music.

Obakeng Phiri, Mbali Jezile, Nokuthula Mzelemu & Thakhani Ramufhufhi 

The exhibition celebrates the work of Hugh Tracey who was a former SABC employee. Hugh Tracey founded ILAM in 1954, and his  collection of sound recordings and photographs of the sub-continent, captured from 1928 through the early 1970s during 19 field excursions that took him as far north as the then Belgian Congo will be represented in this exhibition. ILAM is situated in Grahamstown at the University of Rhodes.

The travelling exhibition, “For Future Generations – Hugh Tracey and the International Library of African Music” displays a selection numerous features on Tracey’s field research, publications, films and audio recordings. Video stations offer footage of South African mine dancing, Chopi xylophone orchestras, Shona music and story-telling, and on ILAM’s history and current projects.    

           - Ilse Asmann (SABCMediaLib blog: World Day for Audiovisual heritage)

Read more about Hugh Tracey and his contribution to the preservation of the rich heritage of African music:
Hugh Tracey Portrait

Part of the ILAM exhibition at the SABC

Abel Thulare, SABC Information Librarian, also came to check out the exhibition

Obakeng Phiri took the photos

#Followalibrary with #myfavoritebook - Report from a lone tweep from Africa

October 1 was the yearly Follow a Library #followalibrary day on Twitter.
This year fell on a Saturday.

I enquired about the day this year on Twitter, and got the following response:

I got included in the crew of #followalibrary day by Wilma van den Brink (@wbk500) from the Netherlands. That is what happens when you stick your neck out on social media...
You get immediate response and involvement!

#Followalibrary website

I had a great day following the hashtag #followalibrary on Twitter last Saturday! I found a large number of libraries to follow through my own account at @karentoittoit, but also for the SABC Media Libraries' accounts on Twitter.
SABC Media Libraries: @SABCMediaLib
SABC Radio Archives: @SABCRadioArc

The topic of discussion was #myfavoritebook.
Very valuable suggestions came to the fore with regards new books to explore.
See the Twubs curation tool on top for all the #myfavoritebook suggestions that is still coming through on Twitter.

I found no other libraries from South Africa or Africa participating on Saturday on Twitter.
It is possible that I could have missed them. Please give me an shout-out when you know of any libraries.
Africa is also not included in the list of #followalibrary blog: Find a library to follow.
(Wilma, will you please add us?)

The deduction can be made that libraries and librarians in Africa have still not caught on to social media.
It is something that needs urgent attention, especially since libraries worldwide are going through the same struggles with regards budgets, closures, manpower shortages, the impact of the eBook, Internet and digitization (to name a few).

Is it not time that libraries in Africa step up and connect with their peers on social platforms?
We need the connection and the wisdom from our global colleagues, but we also need the connection with our customers.

What do our customers need to still make us as libraries a valuable resource in Africa?


Related post:
#Followalibrary Day 1 October 2011

Blog post by Karen du Toit @karentoitoit, SABC Radio Archives.

Last day of an archivist on the job - Markus Mmutlana (Vlog1)

Markus Mmutlana, our News and Actuality Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives, went on retirement last week.

He describes how he came to realize the importance of archives after he started working as an archivist in the Sound Archives.

See a previous interview with him about his daily work as an archivist:
The Weekly Archivist interview: News and Actuality archivist

It is sad to see a lifetime of acquired knowledge walk out of the archives. Markus has a wealth of experience and information in the Broadcasting Industry as well as the history of South Africa through his work as a news and actuality archivist. He was unable to carry some of that tacit knowledge over to a new successor because posts have been frozen. It was not possible for him to teach his successor while he was still working here.

May you enjoy your retirement, Markus!


This is an experimental Vlog by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.
(Apologies for  the less-than-perfect quality as it was recorded on a cellphone.)