CORRECTING

OUR

COLLECTING.

ARCHIVING

FOR

SELF.

ARCHIVING

FOR

COMMUNITY.

CORRECTING OUR COLLECTING. ARCHIVING FOR SELF. ARCHIVING FOR COMMUNITY.

(See highlights from our Midlands Seminar, July 2024, below)

CORRECTING OUR COLLECTING: AN INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN-CENTRED ARCHIVING.

Correcting Our Collecting is a short, accessible, and practical course in African heritage archiving.

The program provides an introduction to the basic principles, skills and ideas required to approach the creation, curation, preservation, and activation of archives from an African heritage perspective.

The course is necessary as the overwhelming majority of teaching and material concerning archival practice centre European perspectives on information studies. This is alienating for would-be ‘Black’ archivists and ignores the vital contribution African-centred ways of knowing and being make to archival science. 

The course is delivered over eight weekly two-hour sessions combining presentations, practical tasks and discussions plus a short practical placement.

Correcting Our Collecting is an entry-level course suitable for anyone of African heritage who is interested in learning more about what archives are, how they are created and managed, and what we should consider when working with archives within our own communities.

This unique, in-person program is led by Dr Etienne Joseph and Connie Bell. The course includes guest sessions from international experts including from the Africa and the Caribbean. 

Correcting Our Collecting session at Black Cultural Archives, London.

The training programme has so far, in its two and half year existence, trained and graduated 60 persons from the African heritage community in Britain to be Community Archivists and Repository Specialists. 

Currently the best of our graduates are now part of our Community Archivist Outreach team and network, who we can confidently refer to work with the community and institutions in supporting the building of a  personal archive or offering advice on the matter.

 

Community Archivist Outreach team with Professor Patricia Rodney and Connie Bell at the Walter Rodney Book Launch of Kofi Badu: Out of Africa & Lakshmi: Out of India (September 2023)

 
 

COURSE HIGHLIGHTS

July 2024 - DTA HELD A ONE-DAY SEMINAR IN BIRMINGHAM ON INDEPENDENT AFRICAN HERITAGE PRACTICE. THE SEMINAR WAS FOR COMMUNITY PRACTITIONERS ENGAGED IN PRESERVING, SHARING AND ACTIVATING COMMUNITY HISTORIES & PRODUCING COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE. IT FEATURED EXPERTS FROM ACROSS THE DIASPORA.

We are honoured to have collaborated with the Stuart Hall Archive Project Conjunctures for this seminar, and their team of Professor Patricia Noxolo (Professor in Human Geography) and Dr. Rita Gayle (founding member of the Global Black Geographies network).

Coming from across the African diaspora, our guest speakers included:

  • Mitchell Esajas (Black Archives Amsterdam, Founder),

  • Sylvia Arthur (Library of Africa and African Diaspora/Ghana Co-founder)

  • Dr. Etienne Joseph (Decolonising the Archive/U.K. Co-founder)

  • Professor Stanley Griffin (Co – Author of Decolonising the Caribbean Record)

2023

2023 - COURSE PARTICIPANTS SUPPORT THE LONDON LAUNCH OF DR WALTER RODNEY’S CHILDRENS BOOKS ‘KOFI BAADU OUT OF AFRICA’ & ‘LAKSHMI OUT OF INDIA’ WITH SPECIAL GUEST PROFESSOR PATRICIA RODNEY.

 

2023 - SUMMER ‘23 CLASS SUPPORT THE INAUGRAL OLIVE MORRIS MEMORIAL AWARDS LUNCHEON AT KARIBU CENTRE, BRIXTON.

 

2022 - SUMMER ‘22 SESSION ON COLLECTIONS AND CATALOGUING/CLASS TRAINEES PLAN AND DELIVER A POP-UP EXHIBITION AT BLACK CULTURAL ARCHIVES.