Speaking at the ‘Archiving, Memory and Method from Global South International Conference’ at Makerere University, the experts expressed frustration over the colonisers’ refusal to return archives belonging to different African countries.
“Archives are the cornerstone of history, providing context and depth to African understanding of the past,” said Prof Nathan Mnjama from the University of Botswana. “They must be representative, inclusive, and diverse, avoiding exclusion… The cost factor is not a walk in the park. Travelling to the UK, staying, securing an apartment is very expensive yet there is no central place to find all the archives.”
Dr Pamela Khanakwa, Dean of School of Performing Arts, reiterated the demand for original records. “We as historians from the Global South argue that we want our original records brought back to us; they can keep records and bring us the originals.”
