ISSN 1993-8616
2009 - number 9
Memory and History
© 1949 National Film Board of Canada. All rights reserved.
From the animated film “Begone Dull Care” by Norman McLaren (Canada) whose film « Neighbours » was inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register this year.
From the cruel dictatorships of Latin America and Cambodia, the destruction of the Burgundian kingdom, and the Korean enlightenment, to the splendour and intrigues of the Malagasy Empire, the saga of the Kalahari and the constructive failure of the League of Nations – memory and history wend their way through this issue, revealing the extraordinary wealth of the documented heritage of humanity.
This issue was produced in partnership with UNESCO’s Memory of the World programme.
The man who discovered the Archives of Terror
On 22 December 1992, a Paraguayan, Martín Almada, discovered three tons of documents in a police station. They turned out to be the archives of Operation Condor, which confirmed the crimes carried out in the 1970s and 1980s by the six dictatorships of the Southern Cone of Latin America. A former UNESCO colleague looks back. More
Dominicans recover their memory
Last century, two successive dictatorships marked the history of the Dominican Republic and were responsible for nearly 60,000 victims. Deathly silence shrouded this period until very recently. Now, the archives recording this tragic past have been inscribed on the Memory of the World Register. More
Memories of Broken Dreams and Intact Hopes
To grasp the complexity of history, it is necessary to confront all types of documents – from personal archives to international collections. The inscription on the Memory of the World Register of the League of Nations Archives (1919-1946) has opened up new perspectives on historiographic research. More
Rehabilitation for the “Song of the Nibelungs”
Sung since the 5th century, transcribed in about 1200, the medieval epic poem “Song of the Nibelungs” has had a troubled history. It inspired Wagner, Fritz Lang and perhaps Tolkien, but it was also appropriated by Hitler. Its inscription in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register 2009 should help to restore its honour. More
The John Marshall Ju/’hoan Bushman Film and Video Collection, 1950 – 2000
When John Marshall accompanied his father on an expedition to Namibia in 1950, he was just a teenager, and had no idea that he was embarking on the first of many fascinating journeys that would make up his life’s work. His six-hour series “A Kalahari Family”, the product of five decades of filming, takes us across thousands of years of history. More
Donguibogam : precious book of medicine
For four centuries, the Korean medical encyclopaedia known as Donguibogam has been a source of inspiration for thinkers and artists alike. Its 25 volumes contain a colossal amount of medical knowledge and philosophy along with some unusual prescriptions. More
In the blue ink of Malagasy aristocrats
The Royal Archives of Madagascar, written in Malagasy, are a unique, living testimony of daily life in the 19th century and the meeting of two cultures, as seen by Malagasy people themselves. In July 2009, the Archives were inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World register. More
