By Yunus S Saliu
The National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) – Gambia in collaboration with the Department of African Language Studies and Ethiopian Studies (ALSES) – Hamburg University and the Hamburger Zentrum Für Sprachkorpora, Hamburg University Germany (HZSK) Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the digitization of National Centre of Arts and Culture’s archives in Fajara.
On the signed MoU grant, partners will be able to access the audio-visual collections of the NCAC – Research and Documentation Division (RDD) through digitization of national collection/archives.
Reference to the endorsed Memorandum of Understanding the three projects partners are to be committed to the ideals of inter-cultural dialogue and international cultural exchange for the promotion of peace and understanding between the people of the world, desirous of instituting cultural exchange between The Gambia and Germany at the level of the three organizations and beyond, conscious of the importance of safeguarding the audio and visual collections of the RDD of the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC), because of its national and international significance.
More so, the partners are to understand that the RDD collection is a candidate of the UNESCO memory of the World Register which inter-alia aims to safeguard, protect and facilitate access to the world’s most significant documentary heritage; aware of the importance of preserving, promoting and developing oral sources which forms a considerable part of the RDD collection; desirous of complimenting the initiative already started through a British Library Endangered Archives Grant and Music Heritage and Development Sweden and also within the context of a grant NCAC Digital National Archive of The Gambia, “Bakary Kebba Sidibe” from Gerda Henkel Foundation, Düsseldorf, Germany.
This signed MoU is the second phase of the digitization project Hamburg University, Germany and NCAC.
Speaking prior the endorsement of the MoU, Professor H Schreiber spoke about role of Hamburg University while Dr Katrin Pfeiffer discussed the significance of the project.
Sheik Omar Jallow director of Literature and Performing Arts on behalf of the acting Director General of NCAC thanked the partners for the confidence and their interest on National Centre for Arts and Culture.
The MoU was signed by Professor Victor Owhotu on behalf of the National Centre for Arts and Culture while Professor H Schreiber signed for the German partners.