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PERIODICO CULTURALE DELL’ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIA ERITREA ONLUSTrimestrale - Reg. Trib. di Roma 87/2005 del 9/03/2005Via Dei Gracchi, 278 - 00192 RomaTel. 348 40 67 111 - Fax 06 32 43 823www.assiter.org - e.mail: iteronlus@yahoo.it

Direttore responsabile: Lidia CorbezzoloRedazione: Lidia Corbezzolo, Nahom Haile, Pier LuigiManocchio, Franco Piredda

In collaborazione:

eritreaeritrea.com

Istituto di Cultura Eritrea

SOMMARIOpag.

Ite r

Editoriale .................................................... 2Lid ia Corbezzo lo

Soima 2013 ReportICCROM International Centre for thePreservation and Restoration ofCultural Property ................................... 3

EDITORIALEd i Lid ia Corbezzo loCarissimi Amici e Carissime AmicheCon grande emozione comunico la partecipazionedell’Eritrea al Seminario di Studio che si terrà a NairobiKenya dal 23 Settembre 2013 al 16 Ottobre 2013 per latutela del patrimonio culturale: parteciperà per l’Eritrea ilSig. Bereket Weldegebriel del Museo Nazionale diAsmara.Questa partecipazione è stata possibile grazie al contributoelargito dalla dott.ssa Giovanna Gargano probiviro e soste-nitrice dell’Assiter ma non solo:è nata a Roma dove risiede, laureata in Psicologia, specia-lizzata in Psicoterapia Analitica. Ha pubblicato poesie suriviste, il suo primo libro di poesie “I Deserti della Luna”.Con la Collana di poesia Girasoli ha pubblicato “I Fiori Blunel Deserto”.Attualmente il suo interesse, che è anche motivo di ricerca,riguarda l’importanza della Psicologia e Spiritualità.In que sto lembo d i te rra d ov e non mi so c o llo care v iv o c on-finata ne l sogno che mi d istrae alla v itaGiov anna Gargano

Archivio fotografico: Antioco LusciProgetto grafico e Stampa: Arti Grafiche San Marcello S.r.l. Viale Regina Margherita, 176 - 00198 RomaAbbonamento annuale euro 25,00Ass.Iter Onlus c/c postale n. 84275023Finito di stampare: settembre 2013In copertina: Eritrea zone archeologiche (foto Lusci)Hanno collaborato a questo numero: Lidia Corbezzolo,Antioco Lusci, Isabella De Brisis

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Fig. 1 - SOIMA 2013 banner

1. SOIMA 2013 Venue

The SOIMA 2013 sessions took place in fourdifferent host institutions in Nairobi: Trust forAfrican Rock Art (TARA), the NationalMuseums of Kenya (NMK), the KenyaBroadcasting Corporation (KBC) and theKenya National Archives and DocumentationService (KNADS).

The accommodation was at the Rosa MysticaCenter. It was considered a suitable and practi-cal place, even if modest. It provided all thebasic needs for the participants and courseteam, it was located near the places where thecourse took place and it was also near of sever-al practical services, groceries, restaurants etc.The internet wireless connection was the weak-est point of this place.

The official opening of SOIMA 2013 tookplace in the Louis Leakey auditorium at NMK,Nairobi, 23th September. The organizing teamincluded members from TARA and NMK, aswell as SOIMA course team members andAparna Tandon, course leader and coordinatorof the SOIMA Program of ICCROM.

The welcoming committee consist of theCabinet Secretary, Ministry of Sports, Cultureand the Arts, Government of Kenya, Dr.Hassan Wario; the Director of the NMK, Dr.Farah; the Director of the National Archivesand Records Service, Dr. Mureria; theDirector of Kenya Broad Casting Corporation,Mr. Why Henia; and the Director of TARA,Mr. David Coulson. All the guests shared keenvisions about the importance of the audio visu-al heritage on transmitting knowledge and cul-ture. After welcoming the guest personalities

SOIMA 2013 REPORTICCROM INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FORTHE STUDY OF THE PRESERVATION ANDRESTORATION OF CULTURAL PROPERTY

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and SOIMA 2013 partners, Aparna Tandondiscourse highlighted the commitment and per-sistence that are essential to memory institu-tions to preserve and provide access to SOIMAcollections, as was clearly shown by the 1952UNESCO general conference video clip exam-ple.

The invited key speaker was Dr. SalomeMushai Mwangola, a Kenyan performingartist, research and communication officer(African Peace-building Network), whichshared a passionate communication with theaudience.

It must be remembered that the first days ofSOIMA 2013 were marked by a tragic eventthat occurred in Nairobi – the upmarketWestgate shopping mall attack on 21st

September, which lasted until 24th September.The apprehension and uncertainty of these firstdays indeed affected SOIMA. Nevertheless, asit was shown throughout the opening venuespeeches, the best way to pay tribute to familieswho lost loved ones and to those injured duringthe tragic events, it was just to move on and dothe best we know. Words of condolences wereexpressed in honour of the late Professor KofiAwoonor. Dr. Mshai Mwangola during his keynote performance presented several words bythe Ghanaian poet.

The opening venue finished with a very pleas-ant performance of traditional Kenya music bythe Zamaleo Sigana group.

After the opening ceremony a SOIMA 2013press release letter was published at TARAwebsite *, as well as some short news onICCROM website and SOIMA 2013 socialmedia platforms (Facebook, etc.).

On the previous night there was a receptiondinner at the hotel that was arranged for theparticipants, teachers and course team.

Fig. 2 - Zamaleo Sigana musical group during the SOIMA2013 opening venue

2. Partners and Cooperating Institutions

A number of national partners were involved:Trust for African Rock Art – TARA, as a co-organizer and host institution; The NationalMuseums of Kenya – NMK; The KenyaNational Archives and Documentation Service– KNADS; Kenya Broadcasting Corporation –KBS; the Italian Cultural Institute Library inNairobi.

SOIMA 2013 also had the support of the inter-national institutions FIAT/IFTA (FédérationInternationale des Archives de Télévision/International Federation of TelevisionArchives), UNESCO, and a host of non-gov-ernmental organizations, mainly linked to thecourse team, including the NetherlandsInstitute for Sound and Vision, the AustraliaNational Film and Sound Archive, the BalticAudiovisual Archival Council, the BelgiumRoyal Institute for Cultural Heritage.

Moreover the following institutions con-tributed with scholarships for participants:ASSITER Onlus, Rome, Centro di CulturaItalina, Asmara, National Records andArchives, Muscat, Thesaurus IslamicusFoundation, Cairo and Academy of Fine Arts,Warsaw.

* http://africanrockart.org.gridhosted.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/SOIMA-2013-Press-Release.pdf

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The host institutions generally provided theadequate conditions for the classes, notwith-standing some lacks and difficulties, mostlyregarding the proper settings and equipmentfor the practical sessions. One of the situationshappened at KBC, where it was challenging tobalance the time and needs for the AV digitiza-tion practical sessions with the functioning ofthe institution and staff schedule. Nevertheless,when necessary, these type of practical difficul-ties where solved promptly and diplomaticallyby the SOIMA team.

TARA was the basis of the SOIMA 2013.TARA team attitude was always very welcom-ing and positive.

Fig. 3 - SOIMA 2013 group photo at TARA

3. Learning objectives

SOIMA conservation training program isdesigned for mid-career professionals in chargeof conservation and archiving of sound andimage collections in cultural institutions. Thefocus is on mixed sound and image collectionsresiding in cultural institutions such aslibraries, museums, archives and cultural cen-tres.

The course brought together a group of profes-sionals from very diverse backgrounds.Therefore, the exchange of common concerns,ideas and experiences was one of the primaryobjectives of the training.

As the training especially focuses on mixed

sound and image collections, the learning activ-ities ensure that at the end of the course, theparticipants were able to:

1 - Recognize materials and media in theirrespective sound and image collections;

2 - Identify the risks to such collections;

3 - Make informed choices for preservation andaccess within given means;

4 - Had improved their skills to work in teamsand to communicate effectively, across disci-plines, the value of, and risks to, sound andimage heritage and advocate for its preserva-tion and wider access.

One of the main modules of the course focusedon developing sustainable preservation andaccess models which encourage public-privatepartnerships as well as foster closer ties with IT(information technology) industries. To informdecisionmaking, possibilities offered by digiti-zation were examined within the context of useand management of cultural heritage collec-tions.

Fig. 4 - Juozas Markauskas cataloguing session during the1st week

At the end of the course the participants pre-sented proposals for carrying out “home” proj-ects on sound and image preservation andaccess. It is prompted that the outcomes ofthese projects must be shared with the rest ofthe SOIMA community through the pro-gramme website and other relevant channels.

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Fig. 5 - Presentation by Nicolety Mwabaya (Zimbabwe) andCarlos Vasquez (Colombia) during the 4th week of SOIMA2013.

4. Participants

The selected 16 participants came from 14countries, mainly from the Africa continent,from Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana,Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Eritrea, andEgypt, but also from Oman and India as well asfrom Lebanon, Poland, Brazil and Colombia.

They represented a broad range of conserva-tion and heritage professionals. As could beseen by the participant list and their profiledocuments, a large majority is in charge ofsound and image collections in national muse-ums, archives, and libraries, and also on otherrelevant cultural institutions. The selection ofthe participants was based on the impact theyare likely to have in training others in theirhome countries, and on the importance of thecollections that they manage.

Additionally, the SOIMA 2013 host institutionKNADS requested that two of their profes-sionals were added to the course as observerparticipants - Mary Njoroge and AnthonyMuiruri.

5. Course topics and learning activities

The SOIMA 2013 course continues to embracethe areas of Photography, Film, Video, Sound

and Digital AV. Topics were distributedthought five modules - Media and Formats;Preservation Planning; Digitization; DigitalPreservation; Preservation ManagementStrategies for Mixed SOIMA Collections.Each module includes 5 to 10 topics, startingfrom history, significance and management ofsound and image collections, media/formatidentification, physical composition, risks tospecific media types, handling and repair, stor-age etc.

The overall course structure was linear andprogressive. The flow of modules and topics isshown on the course schedule (see appendix 1).However, teachers sought to provide the par-ticipants the necessary time to revisit, discussand refine key concepts at various stages andespecially, during module 6, which emphasizescosteffective strategies for managing mixedSOIMA collections.

A particularly effective organization task wasthe creation of mixed groups for the sessions,on a daily basis, usually with a number of 4 par-ticipants. This was a key factor to maximizeinteractivity, group bonds and the share ofknowledge among all the different participants.It was also tried that the group names high-light, in an amusing way, basic subjects of theday to enhance the remembrance.

The first week of the course was concludedwith a day-long conference specially arranged

Fig. 6 - SOIMA 2013 map of participants

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for the participants. During a 10-minute pres-entation they all had the chance to show thechallenges and strategies of their professionalrealities. The conference was moderated byAparna Tandon and Hilke Arijs from KIK-IRPA, Belgium, a previous participant and partof the SOIMA 2013 team. The conference tookplace at the MOCA - Museum ofContemporary Art, Nairobi, introduced by theDirector Mrs. Samantha Ripa di Meana.Before the participants Mr. Jaco du Toit (advi-sor from UNESCO regional Office for EastAfrica) shared with us a communication aboutthe role of UNESCO in promoting AV archiv-ing in the region. Unfortunately all the SOIMAteam and organization efforts weren’t enoughto turn possible the following online presenta-tion by Iolanda Ratti, regarding preservation ofsound and image as contemporary art. Afterthe 1st participant panel, we had the pleasure tolisten Dr. Stefano De Caro, Director-Generalof ICCROM. The success of this event wasclearly confirmed by the passionate andthoughtful overall discussion at the end of theday.

Fig. 8 - Participant Irfan Zuberi from India during the con-ference day

After video and sound themes were addressedby Mick Newnham and Samuel Franco, the2nd week activities concluded with a fieldrecording session. The participants had an out-door hands-on-practice exercise near the LakeNaivasha, North West of Kenya. The goal wasnot just to experience a musical and dancingrecording session, namely a traditional Massaimen group performance, with all the requiredtechnical aspects and “scenario” preparation,but to reflect about the ethical and contextualaspects that are indispensable for this centralexercise (e.g. release forms, intellectual proper-ty, etc.).

Fig. 9 - Audio digitization practices at KBC with SamuelFranco and the participant George Osewe from Kenya

Fig. 10 - Participant Linda Neruba from Uganda preparingaudio equipment during the field recording session at LakeNaivasha

After learning about photography, film, videoand sound, the 3rd week move toward digitalAV, lead by Kara Van Malsen from USA. Karaalso guided the participants onto collectionassessment & preservation planning.

During the 3rd week one of the top events wasthe emergency response simulation exercise

Fig. 7 - Mick Newnham session at the KNADS with GeneralDirector of ICCROM, Dr. Stefano De Caro, and theDirector of TARA, Mr. David Coulson, among the SOIMAparticipants.

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that was prepared at TARA. The agreed philos-ophy for this exercise, instructed by AparnaTandon, was just to give essential informationabout the preestablished teams, provisions,aspects of the scenario, AV heritage to save,and goals to achieve. The participants had noprevious extensive learning and examplesgiven by the course team. Instead, the followedmethodology sought after the participants todiscuss what happened in a “rewinding”process way; meanwhile the teaching teambrought together crucial concepts of an emer-gency response. The simulation covered sever-al aspects: inspection; planning; safety andsecurity; response skills; AV collections andrescue procedures; panic situation control;mediatisation of the press and social communi-cation, etc. The Kenya Red Cross was invitedfor this event and two professionals participat-ed as observers.

On the last week of SOIMA 2013 the mainsubject was access of AV collections, withJohan Oomen from the Netherlands Institutefor Sound and Vision. Topics about, user needsand expectations, institutional policies, partici-patory business planning models and crowd-sourcing were also addressed.

Last days were particularly enriched by theinvited speakers Mutua Matheka - one ofKenya's most celebrate photographers nowa-

days, and Daudi Were, one of the Ushahidicreators (non-profit tech company that special-izes in developing free and open source soft-ware for information collection, visualizationand interactive mapping).

Fig. 11 - Participants Mary Njoroge from Kenya and JudithOpoku-Boateng from Ghana taking notes during the Massaigroup interview

Fig. 12 and 13 - Overviews’ of the emergency response exer-cise at TARA

Fig. 14 - emergency response after discussion, with AparnaTandon

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After the “home projects" presentations it wasthe time for the closing venue. TARA onceagain hosted a pleasant and joyful diplomadelivery ceremony, with the presence of thedirector Mr. David Coulson, and Mr. TerryLittle, chief operations officer and also part ofthe SOIMA 2013 team. Among the specialguests were Mr. Francis Githuah Mwangi,Deputy Director of KNADS, and the openingvenue key speaker, Dr. Salome MushaiMwangola.

Fig. 15 - Diploma delivery to the participant Bright Joshuafrom Malawi

6. Course evaluation

After each week participants were asked to fillout a two-page short anonymous questionnaire,used for a course evaluation. A total of 54 ques-tions pointed out each daily outlined sessionand the answers were distributed by a range of4 options regarding participant’s satisfaction(not at all; not fully; quite satisfied; very satis-fied). The participants also had the possibilityto write comments for each day.

The collected information and results are pre-sented on weekly tables at the Appendix 2.Summarized results about the 4 weeks areshown on table 1. The excellent outcomesachieved can be clearly verified by the con-stantly high satisfaction percentages, with anoverall average of 95%.

The dissatisfaction answers with comments,that permitted accurate interpretations, were

Table 1 - SOIMA 2013 participants questionnaire overall results with the average percentage values of satisfaction distributed bythe 4 weeks

usually linked to insufficient time for practicalsessions. This is not completely surprising sincepractical sessions commonly produce highinterested and expectations among partici-pants, which usually means higher standards tobe matched by the course team. On the otherhand it is also true that practical sessions usual-ly are more difficult to organize, implement andbalance, especially in a short and intense courselike SOIMA, with a broad range of issues toaddress.

The evaluation forms were extremely helpful topath the progress of the course and, when nec-

essary and appropriate, how to adapt andimprove topics to balance the participants’expectations.

Fig. 16 - One of the last SOIMA 2013 group photo at NMK

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Appendix 1

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Appendix 2

Table 2 - SOIMA 2013 week 1 satisfaction questionnaire results (total of 14 collected questionnaires)

*1 - no available comments for the dissatisfaction answers*2 - the comments for the dissatisfaction answer on 2nd session were about too long presentations; the comments for the dissatis-faction answer on 4th session were related to hear more on the cataloguing principles, doubts and more time for identification/cataloguing forms*3 - the comments for the dissatisfaction answers were about the need for more practical lessons/time on identification of degra-dation and the need to more attention to participant’s suggestions*4 - the comments for the dissatisfaction answers were about insufficient practical lessons/ time*5 - the comment for the dissatisfaction answer were about setup problems

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Table 3 - SOIMA 2013 week 2 satisfaction questionnaire results (total of 16 collected questionnaires)

*1 - no available comments for the dissatisfaction answer*2 - just 15 valid answers for the 2nd and 3rd questions; no available comments for the dissatisfaction answers*3 - the comments for the dissatisfaction answers are about short time for digitization practice and no practice for AV digitization*4 - no available comments for the dissatisfaction answer*5 - no available comments for the dissatisfaction answers*6 - no available comments for the dissatisfaction answers

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Table 4 - SOIMA 2013 week 3 satisfaction questionnaire results (total of 16 collected questionnaires)

*1 - only 15 filled forms on 2nd and 3rd sessions*2 - only 15 filled forms on 8th October; no available comments for the dissatisfaction answers*3 - no available comments for the dissatisfaction answers*4 - no available comments for the dissatisfaction answers*5 - only 15 filled forms on 11th October, except session 1 with 14 filled forms and session 4 with 9 filled forms; 1 comment forthe dissatisfaction answer that mention that the presentation should be in English

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Table 5 - SOIMA 2013 week 4 satisfaction questionnaire results (total of 16 collected questionnaires)

* no available comments for the dissatisfaction answers

Foto Lusci