Africa-Press – Eswatini. Thank you ministry of information, communication and technology for the invitation to share perspectives during commemoration of international archives day, the theme: The Archives are You. As an indigenous knowledge researcher, this theme, speaks to the significance of continuous rethinking on bridging the past, present and future imperatives.
Rethinking presents an opportunity to engage with the archives from a humane perspective, thus, regarding the archives as a home.
Consequently, approaching archives as a source of human experiences transforming this colonial legacy projects into learning centres applying the indigenous adage: a home is a shrine and learning centre.
This theme, the archives are you, enables this transformation of archives into the bridge in human experience of the past, present and future, like esangweni, edladleni and entsangweni in the indigenous context.
The human experience of the past is preserved and protected within archives as facts, data and evidence from primary resources that inform you in this present day human experience, while envisioning future imperatives. Therefore, archives are the bridge that connects us to human experiences, which affirm our heritage and identity as they share stories and documents providing us a window into historical epochs. They are bridges that enable humanity to appreciate the present when critically engaging the unique, extraordinary and rare documents that are preserved and protected within archives.
Past in Archives
George Orwell (1949) in 1984 wrote: “Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” Evidently, archives as the bridges welcoming all into accessing knowledge on the past, in the present enabling decolonising, indigenising and Africanising colonised minds.
Interestingly, knowing the past, in the present enables you to control the past and the future by critically engaging the documents, books, and historical contexts that were captured by non-indigenous lens. A majority of archived documents were actively preserving and protecting western paradigms, now it’s time to transform these colonial legacies, firstly, through ownership and declaring archives are you. This evokes the responsibility within humanity to humanise these colonial institutions, making them bridges between past, present and future.
Archives are your bridges in capturing the past as they are endowed with collective memories enabling you in the present to re-enact the past according to your terms. However, collective memories of the past provides positive and negative human experiences that require transformation from these past thoughts not to control the future.
This notion articulated through Julius Nyerere, “Education is not a way to escape poverty, it is a way of fighting it.”
Poverty consciousness is the worst form of poverty that requires transforming negative human experiences into positive present collective memories through educating the minds with the past. Knowing the past protected and preserved in archives enables fighting poverty consciousness.
Present in Archives
Archives are the bridge enabling the present to control the past as indicated by Orwell, through this practical knowledge acquisition of heritage, collective memory and societal primary resources in archives. This controlling of the past embedded within stories and documentation on past human experiences evokes the giant within humanity, best exemplified through the words of wisdom of Kwame Nkrumah: “I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me.” Evidently, being born in Africa is a present human experience, while Africa being born in me, manifests when allowing the present to control the past, being African embedded within you through heritage, collective memory and societal primary resources in archives.
Thus, archives are excellent bridges between the past, present and future, all of which are dependent on how you critically engage these colonial institutions.
Considering how in the present African identity is controlled by the past facts, data and evidence of those who controlled the past. Today’s theme challenges all of us to declare, the archives are you, evoking ownership and commitment towards challenging past in the present moment. Through critically engaging the archives creating enabling environment for the African Renaissance to emerge within leaders immersed in the past facts, data and evidence.
Leadership that walks the talk on Africa was born in me, when they retell, rethink and rewrite the African narrative that resonates within their identity enabling the present to control the future by controlling past archived narratives.
Future Narratives in Archives
The archives are you, with regard to creating opportunities in the present moment to control future narratives, thus, enabling the next generation to appreciate Africa was born within us. Therefore they are beneficiaries of heritage, collective memory and societal primary resources that reflects post-colonial thoughts.
Evidently, archives are you, as they play an important role in accountability, transparency and democracy that is embedded within the knowledge repositories that we are obligated by law to deposit. When we fail to deposit knowledge products that provide future narratives in Archives, we are failing in good citizenship and governance requiring all national publications to be available for free to all citizens.
Thus, creating an enabling environment for preserving and protecting future narratives within Archives for the present moment to contribute towards controlling the future.
These knowledge repositories must effectively decolonise, indigenise and Africanise future generation, such that they walk the talk on how Africa is born within them.
This reminds me of words of wisdom from Albert Einstein: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” Evidently, in the present moment let us engage in knowledge production that brings hope for future generations and that controls the future narratives.
These knowledge products must be provocative to future thought leaders enabling them never to stop questioning.
As the culture of question manifests in transdisciplinary scholarship that questions and accepts responses as temporary while in pursuit of epistemology of hope, hope that illuminates future leadership rooted in good citizenship and governance.
Conclusion
Personally, archives are me, this is where I learnt my Ndwandwe story and legacy of Queen LaZidze in this kingdom.
Through the archives, I connected with old soul LaZidze during my spiritual and academic journey in sense making this second lived experience for leading integrating indigenous knowledge and modernity in research and advocacy.
Thus, controlling the past in the present as Queen LaZidze’s feminine power overwhelmed the missionaries and colonialist who narrated this leadership positively and negatively in the archives. Queen LaZidze’s legacy to a large extent was marginalised and suppressed within archives indicative of how she challenged European patrichacy, marking the advent of the systemic negation of indigenous knowledge within this kingdom’s history.
Queen LaZidze labelled negatively by patriarchy, revered by the nation she was brought into marrying by King Zwide, and later led as Queen, Queen Mother and Regent.
Archives anchored my identity, heritage, collective memory and societal primary resources as direct descendent of King Zwide kaYanga, the fathers of Queen LaZidze and Queen LaYanga respectively.
I learnt from archives how King Zwide or Zidze lost the kingdom, and how I am part of the regional impact of uMfecane, a story am currently writing to share in Malawi next month.
At conference, Mfecane 200 years (1822-2022) Regional Impact, hosted by the Mombera Kingdom led by King Mmbelwa Chiefs Council, Afrikan Young Indigenous Leaders, Khaya Heritage Foundation, Mzuzu City Council, Mzuzu University and other partners.
My conference paper controlling the past in the present, acknowledging positive and negatives of Mfecane. With regard to historic detribalisation moments for Ndwandwe now regional surname and systemic negating indigenous knowledge.
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