Through these quotes from our conversation partners, they want to share some core learnings:
“Gathering this knowledge empowers my power.”
Community archiving has the potential to challenge the harmful historical narrative of the colonial archive. Thinking together about what should be included in the archive and how it should be labelled, by whom and for whom, proved a powerful practice of reclaiming agency, dignity, and voice.
“History is repeating itself.”
Many of our conversation partners are experiencing harm and injury through ongoing exclusion from bilateral reparation and restitution processes. The continued disregard of their indigenous rights to self-representation and self-determination also means the continuation of colonial violence. How can historical injustice ever be repaired without first acknowledging its present and ongoing structures?
“I share and you also have to share.”In the face of long histories of knowledge extractivism, collaborative research is needed to challenge the exclusionary structures that shape how knowledge is produced. Collaborations can be emotionally and administratively challenging – and they are the core reason as to why we should embark on this work in the first place.“This whole thing must not stop here, it must continue. We must learn to listen, speak, and understand each other.”
With these words of Pastor Francis Kooper in mind, I look forward to presenting parts of our work during the next meeting of the Huizinga Oral History Working Group on 23 January to reflect upon the role of oral history in reparatory practices.
