Department of Library Services Special Collections Unit – Ancestral Voices Project In-Person
The Department of Library Services invites you to a celebration of the Ancestral Voices Project collaboration between the Special Collections Unit and S.A. Heritage Publishers.
The Van Warmelo Collection is a large collection of indigenous manuscripts describing various histories, traditions and ways of life. Join us to learn more about this important collection and S.A. Heritage Publishers’ remarkable Ancestral Voices Project. The programme will include presentations by S.A. Heritage Publishers, readings of the original manuscripts and an exhibition of items from the Van Warmelo Collection.
- Date:
- Friday 9 June 2023
- Time:
- 15:00 - 16:00
- Time Zone:
- Central Africa Time (change)
- Location:
- Library Auditorium
- Campus:
- Main (Hatfield)
- Audience:
- DLS Staff Information Specialists Marketing Committee Masters Post-Doctoral Professional Staff Researchers Students
- Categories:
- Seminar Speaker
- Attachments:
Between 2020 and 2022, the Van Warmelo collection was digitised and is now available on UPSpace. The DLS Special Collections Unit has collaborated with SA Heritage Publishers, who have worked from the scans of the original documents and are currently translating them into English. The Ancestral Voices project is an enormous undertaking, as it involves transcribing and translating over 800 manuscripts. SA Heritage Publishers are also tracing descendants of the original authors of the manuscripts. This significant collection has preserved what was previously thought to be unwritten history, in a written form. The University of Pretoria has safeguarded this heritage and made it openly available to researchers, while SA Heritage Publishers is ensuring that the collection is accessible to a larger number of potential researchers. This noteworthy project is invaluable with regard to preserving South African heritage.
Preliminary Programme
Programme Director – Prof Karen Harris, HOD Department Historical and Heritage Studies
15:00 Welcome by Lindiwe Soyizwapi
15:05 Keynote Address by VC’s representative
15:15 Van Warmelo - the man in his time by Gerard de Kamper
15:20 Van Warmelo - the significance after his time by Edwin Smith
15:25 The SA Heritage Publishers Ancestral Voices Project by Mr Terence Ball and Cullen Mackenzie
15:35 Readings of selected extracts - UP African Languages students
15:55 Vote of Thanks by Lazarus Matizirofa
Refreshments will be served
