Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
In remembrance of a Living Library of Platfontein
IN MEMORY OF MATOKA MATTHEUS, 3 OCTOBER
2012
Report by Moshe Maghundu, Librarian/Archivist at SABC Platfontein.
Following on the 31/201 BN Replica Obelisk unveiling at Platfontein, one veteran who lived to witness
this day, Mr. Matoka Mattheus has passed away on 3 October
2012. His burial took place on the 4th, the next day.
This tragic incident left the residers of Platfontein, especially the !xun community, reeling with shock.
 |
Left: Ds. Mario Mahongo,middle: Chief Kamama Mukua(Khwe) and Right: Mr. Matoka Mattheus(deceased)
|
Many spoken to said that the !xun community won’t be the same again without
Mr. Matoka.
Matoka’s
background:
Matoka Mattheus was in the army since early 1960 while in Angola and he was a Battalion Captain and a “sersant” (sergeant) till his retirement. People interviewed said that
he was very good with everything that he .
He
was a traditional leader at the day of his death and Mr Matoka was a good, friendly and very humble man.
According to Malton Edburg, X-K fm
programme co-coordinator, Matoka Mattheus was, while
in Omega, Namibia, a trainer who trained basic skills of
animal tracking at school.
Malton
also said that everything Mr. Matoka did back in Angola, being
at the forefront of his community, can categorise him at the levels of a
hero (a San hero).
The San people’s where scattered and Mr. Matoka
took the initiative to gather them again. The Angolan Portuguese war seperated them, but he could manage to
bring them together again.
Matoka’s burial started off 8 o'clock at a !xun community church where different activities took place and later proceeded to the grave yard.
His
friend chief Kamama Mukua was also there to give his last respect and also had
very inspiring words of encouragement to give the immediate families and !xun
community.
 |
Left: Chief Kamama(Khwe), Right: Malton (x-k fm programmes)
|
The
station X-K fm was there to broadcast live from the scene as it serves to
deliver excellent service to the communities.
 |
At the grave yard
|
The day was concluded by Ds. Mario Mahongo giving words of comfort to the family.
Special thanks to:
Mr Piorro
Mushavango (producer)
Mr Simon
Hasjenda (producer)
·
RBF Mrs Rena Maghundu (technical
producer) (photo)
Related post:
Thursday, October 18, 2012
World day for AudioVisual Heritage on 27 October 2012
The theme for 2012 is: “Audiovisual heritage memory? the clock is ticking”
"Audiovisual documents, such as films, radio and television programmes, audio and video recordings, contain the primary records of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Transcending language and cultural boundaries, appealing immediately to the eye and the ear, to the literate and illiterate, audiovisual documents have transformed society by becoming a permanent complement to the traditional written record.
However, they are extremely vulnerable and it is estimated that we have no more than 10 to 15 years to transfer audiovisual records to digital to prevent their loss.
Much of the world's audiovisual heritage has already been irrevocably lost through neglect, destruction, decay and the lack of resources, skills, and structures, thus impoverishing the memory of mankind. Much more will be lost if stronger and concerted international action is not taken." - UNESCOIASA, the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives, is hosting the day at
World Day for AudioVisual Heritage.
They undertake to post any relevant content: Tell us how your organisation is celebrating World Day for Audiovisual Heritage?
The SABC Media Libraries will also be taking part.
This year we will focus especially on our Springbok Radio Revisited collection, the radio material of the former SABC radio station Springbok Radio, that was handed back earlier this year to the SABC.
 |
| Springbok Radio Revisited |
The official hand over of Springbok Radio archive material to SABC took place on 8 May 2012 this year.
 |
| Hand over of Springbok Radio material by Frans Erasmus to Thami ka Plaatjie of the SABC |
Springbok Radio can still be heard digitally in 6-hour loops that is being refreshed on a two-weekly basis by our Springbok Radio custodian, Retha Buys.
The Springbok Radio Audio stream is here: http://www.springbokradio.com/AudioStream.html
How will you highlight your audiovisual heritage?
Related posts:
- Storify: World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2011 at the SABC
- SABC Platfontein celebrated World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
- SABC Bloemfontein exhibition for World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
- UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 27-28 October 2010
- The story of Springbok radio via Storify
- Frans Erasmus, an inspiration!
- Springbok Radio Revisited
Blog post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
The new archivist interview: Sound Restoration
 |
| Obakeng Phiri Archivist: Sound Restoration SABC Radio Archives |
He has been an intern with us for a couple of months, and he started to work here on the 1st of August 2012.
The previous interview with Obakeng was about his internship at the SABC Radio Archives.
His duties are different now than before when he was an intern here.
Obakeng, please tell us about a normal day in your studio.
I am self motivated because I am very passionate about being an audio restoration archivist.
Every snippet of audio content I work with contains interesting information. It adds to my anticipation of looking forward doing my job each day!
My job involves the separation of sound from the format it was recorded on. It also involves the “cleaning” of sound, getting rid of clicks, pops, scratches and hiss that often plague the original recordings.
In some instances, the desired sound is so close in character to the noise, that the noise cannot be cleaned so as not to sacrifice parts of the sound that we want to keep.
The workflow is not complicated, but it must be performed carefully to achieve the best results.
Every experience in the studio is a learning curve. I learn different subjects from history, politics as well as listening to radio dramas.
Depending on the mood I am in, every hour is spent on a different subject.
Tell us more about your collection and the scope of material you need to preserve.
I work with most of SABC’s radio broadcast material, which includes radio dramas, radio features, actuality and many more. One example is a feature programme on Bertha Solomon, pioneer of women’s rights in South Africa.
Do you have an anecdote about an interesting piece of audio material that you have encountered?
The following is in our collection: ‘’I am an African’’ speech by Thabo Mbeki.
It introduces his vision on the African Renaissance, which is about empowering Africa economically and socially.
Why did you want to work here again after you have completed your internship here?
When I first came here for the first time as an intern, I already knew that I wanted to work at the SABC Radio Archives. It felt like I was home! Due to my passion for the job, I was given the chance to prove myself. It paid off in the end!
I am very grateful for it, praise God!
Related posts:
- Interview with an intern at the SABC Radio Archives: Obakeng Phiri
- The value of internship in the SABC Radio Archives
Questions and blog post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Heritage Beasts in the Archives #heritagebeasts
 |
| #heritagebeasts in SABC Radio Archives |
The Twitter hashtag is #heritagebeasts
They call it Beasts in your collections?!
The call:
"Let’s dive into our collections to search for colourful fishes. Let’s make a safari tour through our depots to catch wild animals. Let’s have a stroll through all the bookshelves to discover beautiful insects that hide there. Let’s have a great flight through our storagerooms and catch up with some amazing birds. Make a silent tour at night to spot the very rare unicorn. And let’s show all the animals we found in our depots and collections to the world on World Animal Day!"
The SABC Radio Archives, the audio archives for the radio stations of the national broadcaster of South Africa (SABC), are no exception!
We have our fair share of sounds and programmes about beasts!
A search for "animals" in our Thesaurus results in 147 documents.
In one document of 1980 the sounds of the following are recorded: dove, elephant, hippo, zebra, jackal, frog, lion, heron, rhino, impala, ... (See the snippet that was copied on top.)
A search for "Rhino*" (Rhino/rhinoceros) yields 35 documents.
The wonderful beast that is being slaughtered on a daily basis for its horn!
Most of the programmes are about the conservation of this animal, but we have the sounds of this mighty beast preserved for our heritage in our collection!
It was interesting to look at our collections from this angle!
Have a happy "hunting" in your collections for those beasts!
Thank you Ask Archivists for the initiative!
Post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Library 2.012 Worldwide Virtual Conference 3-5 October #LIB2012
 |
| Library 2.012 Worldwide Virtual Conference |
"The virtual Library 2.012 conference is a unique chance to participate in a global conversation on the current and future state of libraries.
Held worldwide over the course of two days, with 150 sessions and 10 keynotes, subject strands include physical and virtual learning spaces, evolving professional roles in today's world, organizing and creating information, changing delivery methods, user-centered access, and mobile and geo-social information environments.
Attendance is free; sign up at http://www.library2012.com to attend or to be kept informed."
The Twitter hashtag for the conference: #LIB2012
The welcoming address by the President of San José State University:
Mohammad Qayoumi
Monday, October 1, 2012
Follow a library day today #followalibrary
 |
| @Followalibrary on Twitter |
The #followalibrary team is going strong, and the blog post can be read here:
Join ons on #followalibrary day 2012 on Oct 1st
They have an awesome video up by David Green and the Shelharbour Libraries (@sclibs) on the blog, but you can check it on YouTube as well: #followalibrary day... so follow
David Green says the following about #followalibrary day:
"funtastic folk will be tweeting the AWESOMENESS of libraries and using the hashtag #followalibrary. We’ll be tweeting about reading, creating, playing, communicating, learning, sharing & all the other excellent stuff we do in libraries. It’s such a cool way to spread library love"
If you are not yet following the SABC Media Libraries, as well as our different sections on Twitter, please do so today:
SABC Media Libraries on Twitter:
 |
| @SABCMediaLib on Twitter |
SABC Radio Archives: @SABCRadioArc
SABC Music Library: @SABCMusicLib
SABC Record Library: @SABCRecordLib
SABC Audio Restoration: @SABCAudioRest
A special shout-out to all South African libraries as well. Please let us know that you are taking part, and we will gladly follow you back!
Happy #followalibrary day!
Blog post by Karen du Toit @karentoittoit
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)