Chris Prom
Associate Dean, Digital Strategies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Catalyzing African Community Archives for Social Good will develop a reciprocal partnership between the University of Illinois, African archivists, and international knowledge management organizations. The partnership will foster the preservation of modern documentary materials, enabling Africans to tell their stories in their terms. Within a project governance model that centers African voices, the team will first co-develop training materials. It will then provide ‘Train the Trainers’ sessions in Ghana, Kenya, and Botswana, supporting community champions, indigenous knowledge holders, and African partners to digitally preserve and provide access to indigenous knowledge on topics like food production, ecosystem preservation, climate change mitigation, peace building, and reconciliation. Overall, the project seeks to develop shared communities of practice, positioning African partners to use their knowledge and records to improve social good, while decolonizing preservation resources previously developed in the global North. Throughout the project and at its conclusion, the team will take advantage of opportunities to amplify this work, such as seeking support from academic partners, private foundations and corporations, national governments, the International Council of Archives, and UNESCO. Long term, the organization will pursue projects that preserve records documenting the rising African continent and indigenous knowledge practices, to support sustainable development and democratic governance.
