| MELLON
AND FORD TO FUND NEW PARTNERSHIPS FOR SOUTH AFRICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE
EAST
LANSING, Mich. - A new initiative by Michigan State University to
assist in the preservation of South African culture and heritage
is clear evidence of the emergence of the new, democratic South
Africa - and clear evidence that the academic and cultural boycotts
of that nation are relics of the past.
The "South African National Cultural Heritage
Training and Technology Program," an initiative that is supported
by $1 million in grants from the Andrew W. Mellon and Ford Foundations,
is a collaborative endeavor to link a range of U.S. and South African-based
educational institutions, cultural organizations and historically
black colleges and universities.
Over the next three years, the program will assemble
a specialized cadre of archivists, curators, scholars and students
to work in South Africa on cultural heritage projects.
"The government of South Africa is delighted
that this program will assist in developing the national cultural
heritage of South Africa," said Kader Asmal, Minister of Education,
South Africa. "It is vital that the real 'search' for this
heritage is assisted and I am extremely pleased that there is a
truly bi-national arrangement, a genuine partnership between our
two countries.
"MSU has played a leading role in its relationships
with South African institutions and the government of South Africa
congratulates MSU and its various partners in this meritorious cultural
enterprise."
MSU and its partners believe that they have much
to gain and much to contribute from these partnerships. "Individual
scholars and universities in the United States and Europe have established
linkages with South African colleagues and institutions over the
past decade," said John Eadie, director of MSU's Consortium
for Inter-Institutional Collaboration in African and Latin American
Studies (CICALS).
"This project draws its strength from the breadth
of its partnerships on both sides of the Atlantic. In sharing technical
expertise, our cultural institutions will gain a deeper understanding
of South African history and culture and of the struggle for freedom
and dignity that is one of the most inspiring human triumphs of
the 20th century."
In order to survey the specific interests and needs
of South African cultural institutions, the project organizers held
a workshop, "International Partnerships for South African Culture,
History and Education," in Durban in November of 1999. The
workshop brought together archivists, historians, and curators from
South Africa and the United States to identify needs and priorities
in the development of cultural heritage projects. Funded by the
Mellon Foundation, the workshop produced a declaration of principles
of partnership and a blueprint of collaborative projects and programs
for development over the next decade.
Some highlights of the "South African Cultural
Heritage Training and Technology Program" include:
Hosting
a training institute in July 2000 for a range of humanities professionals,
archival, museum and educational specialists. Participants in this
workshop will include individuals from across South Africa as well
as from historically black colleges and universities in the United
States. They will spend four weeks at the MSU-based partner institutions
and programs as well as the Chicago Historical Society and the Smithsonian
Institution.
Each
year the partners will conduct workshops in South Africa that will
provide opportunities for communication among U.S. and South African
partners and engage participants in discussions on national cultural
heritage issues. This year's meeting, scheduled for November, will
be held on Robben Island in Cape Town, site of the notorious prison
during the apartheid years and now a World Heritage Site. The workshop
will center on oral history methodology.
The
project partners will create learning activities such as community-based,
field oriented oral history projects, low-security traveling and
online exhibitions, and educational materials and curriculum packets.
Specialized technology training as well as expertise on emergency
and specific short-term projects within South Africa will also be
provided.
The
"South African Cultural Heritage and Technology Program"
grew out of MSU's strong ties to South African educational and cultural
institutions, and builds upon MSU's internationally recognized African
studies, museum and folklife programs and humanities-based technology.
A coordinating team from MSU includes: H-Net: Humanities and Social
Sciences OnLine, MATRIX: The Center for Humane Arts, Letters and
Social Sciences Online, the MSU Museum, the African Studies Center,
and CICALS.
For more information about the project, contact Peter Knupfer at
(517) 355-9300.
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