"It's your story - Don't lose it!" - World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2016 theme

The annual World Day for Audiovisual Heritage will again be hosted worldwide on 27 October.

Bertram Lyons, IASA Editor and working at AVPreserve, has posted the following:  

The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage has become a key initiative for both UNESCO and the Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA) to honour audiovisual preservation professionals and institutions that help to safeguard this heritage for future generations despite the many technical, political, social, financial, and other factors that threaten its survival. Audiovisual archives around the world join together annually on 27 October to celebrate their work with activities and events that not only highlight the vulnerability of this heritage, but also celebrate the often unheralded work of the heritage institutions that protect it.

The theme of the World Day this year is "It's Your Story - Don't Lose It". 

READ MORE: New CCAAA Website and the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage!

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage - podcast from Radio Sonder Grense on 27 October #wdavh2015

The following package was compiled by the afternoon team of Radio Sonder Grense on Middag op.

Karen du Toit, Afrikaans archivist in the SABC Radio Archive, have selected one of the soundtracks for today. Jan Beukes, one of the first African broadcasters in 1937 on the African service, are relaying anecdotes about the first African broadcasts on radio. It was recorded on October 18, 1955. The soundtrack was originally recorded on acetate record and was digitized on a CD by a sound engineer. Unfortunately, we have many formats in the Archives which are perishing because we are not digitizing fast enough. It is a global problem in all audiovisual archives! "

The podcast translated from Afrikaans:

"The theme for the celebration of this year World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2015" Archives in Danger - Protecting the world's identities! "

SABC Media Libraries are part of archives worldwide highlighting the importance of preserving our audiovisual heritage in the SABC Radio archives. Our audiovisual heritage do not only allow us to look and listen with apperciation to our audio-visual collections, but what is more important, it also shows us who we are!

The Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Association (CCAAA) encourage everyone to participate in the campaign to protect man's AV heritage. The world's audiovisual heritage of sound recordings and moving images are extremely vulnerable due to factors ranging from neglect, natural decay due to technological obsolescence, as well as deliberate destruction.

Accordingly, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) made it part of its mission to create public awareness with the the Global Audiovisual Heritage celebrations annually.

All the world's audiovisual heritage is endangered. Therefore, the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage and the Memory of the World program are the two most important actions identified by UNESCO to help preserve this heritage! The task is on professionals in conservation to help preserve this heritage for future generations, despite the many technical, political, social, financial and other factors that threaten AV survival.

UNESCO encourages everyone to share in the celebrations on October 27 by putting the emphasis on their precious collections to ensure that present and future generations will still be able to enjoy our shared audiovisual heritage. "

Interview with SABC archivists on African Dialogue about the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2015 #wdavh2015

Two of SABC Radio Archives' archivists were interviewed on the programme African Dialogue on Channel Africa about the World day for Audiovisual Heritage that was celebrated on Tuesday 27 October.
Sipho Hlope is the Springbok Radio archivist; and Namatama Mate is the Channel Africa archivist.

"Today the world acknowledges the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. This is a day, now headed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, aims to raise awareness about the importance of audiovisual documents and the importance of archiving. This year’s theme is “Archives at risk: protecting the world's identities". Today we speak to: • Sipho Hlope, archivist from Springbok-radio • Namatama Mate, journalist and archivist from SABC. • Cecil Nguva-uva – former Southern African Broadcasters Association • Ilse Assman Chairperson of the Southern African Broadcasting Association’s Audiovisual Committee." - iono.fm

Storify of World Day for Audiovisual Heritage at the SABC Media Libraries #WDAVH2015

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2015 on 27 October

Once again awareness needs to created about the dire situation of the world-wide audiovisual heritage!

The slogan of this year's World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is:

"Archives at Risk: Protecting the World's Identities"

The world’s audiovisual heritage of sound recordings and moving images are extremely vulnerable as a result of factors ranging from neglect, natural decay to technological obsolescence, as well as deliberate destruction. 

Consequently, UNESCO has made it part of its mission to raise public consciousness of the importance of preservation of these recordings through the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. 

In adopting 27 October as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, UNESCO, in cooperation with the Co-ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA) and other institutions, has helped to raise the profile of the issues at stake and focus global attention on the fragility of this heritage. 

                                                          - UNESCO Woprld Day for Audiovisual Heritage 

The countdown has begun!
Today is 19 days away from the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2015!

Archivists of SABC Radio Archives being interviewed about World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2014 #wdavh2014

Three of the archivists of SABC Radio Archives were interviewed by SABC Radio stations about the importance of World Day for Audiovisual Heritage that is celebrated yearly on 27 October 2014.

The interviews are uploaded on SoundCloud.

Morongwa Mokwena, English Archivist, on 26 October on Media@SAFM on SAFM




Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist, on 27 October on Loslip, on RSG. (interview in Afrikaans)




Peter Raseroka, Ikwekwezi Archivist, on 27 October on Ikwekwezi FM (interview in isiNdebele)





Related posts:

- World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2014 today

- World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2014 on 27 October

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2014 today

"Archives at risk: Much more to do"
WDAVH posters

"What if you wake up one day and all the memories of the world are gone?
What then of the future?"

All audiovisual archives worldwide are in trouble.
The formats and the play-out machines are obsolescent.

If we don't start today, will we be able to safeguard our memories and our history for future generations? The need for digitization are more pressing than ever!

The Swiss National Archives put this on YouTube.
The clock is ticking!




Read more: 

- World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2014

- World Day for Audiovisial Heritage - UNESCO

World Day for Audio Visual Heritage 2014 on 27 October

The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is held again on 27 October.

The theme for this year's celebration of the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2014 is "Archives at Risk - Much More to Do!"

 Our AV heritage allows us not only to appreciate watching and listening to our AV collections but more importantly, it tells us about who we are.

The Coordinating Council of AV Archives Association (CCAAA) encourages all to join in the campaign for the need to safeguard man's AV heritage." - WDAVH

Read more about the campaign: World Day for Audio Visual Heritage 2014 

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage on 27 October #wdavh2013

The yearly World Day for Audiovisual Heritage highlights the vulnerability of the world's audiovisual records.

The Instagram photo is from a photo taken in the SABC Radio Archives, which collects and stores audio material from SABC Public Broadcast Services (PBS) Radio Services. The SABC Radio Archives store a vast collection of audio material in different audio formats, some of which are also subject to disintegration if not being digitised before it is too late.

More information about the day can be found here: About the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.

27 October 2013
Theme: Saving Our Heritage for the Next Generation

"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. 

It was in this context, that the UNESCO General Conference in 2005 approved the commemoration of a World Day for Audiovisual Heritage as a mechanism to raise general awareness of the need for urgent measures to be taken and to acknowledge the importance of audiovisual documents as an integral part of national identity."

                          Source: UNESCO

Posts from previous years: 

- World Day for Audiovisual Heritage on 27 October 2012

- Storify: World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2011 at the SABC 

- Springbok Radio #1 - The History

- Unesco World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2012 - Awareness by SABC Media Libraries in South Africa 

- Unesco World Day for Audiovisial Heritage 27-28 October 2010

Blog post by Karen du Toit, archivist in the SABC Radio Archives.

World day for AudioVisual Heritage on 27 October 2012

It is again on 27 October 2012 the World Day for AudioVisual Heritage that has been declared by UNESCO as the official day to highlight the dire state of our AV collections worldwide.

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." - UNESCO 

IASA, 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.