Oral History Certificate Course by Centre for Public History, Bangalore

History conquers the past, eradicating memory through 'official' accounts. Oral history is an attempt to break the silence of public memory - to look at the other side of silence and give back to the people who made and experienced history, a central place. Where researching history has become perusing archives, oral history provides a fresh and more comprehensive approach to history by using personal narratives and memories to understand historical events.

This is the perspective that Stella James, Fellow at Natural Justice had the opportunity to understand and analyze in attending a one-week certificate course on Oral History, conducted by the Centre for Public History(CPH) in Bangalore from 20th-25th January 2014.  Facilitated mainly by Indira Chowdhury, Director of CPH as well as Heather Goodall, Professor of History at the University of Technology, Sydney, the course was designed to act as a theoretical as well as practical introduction to concepts of oral history.

Through case-studies on the partition of India, the stolen generations of Australia, the "black ban" on Dutch ships in 1945-9 and women's movements across border post 1945, complex issues like the reliability of oral history, manipulation of memory, the role of the interviewee in the interpretation of history, appreciating the gaps in personal narratives, power dynamics and ethics were discussed. There was also guidance given on more practical aspects like the use of audio technology, editing and transcribing, curating, designing projects and interview guides etc.

A one-on-one counselling/mentoring session with Prof Goodall, who has worked extensively with indigenous communities, allowed Stella to brainstorm ideas on how the principles and practices of oral history can be useful to lawyers working with communities.

!Khwa ttu Awarded Golden Shield Heritage Award

Natural Justice partner !Khwa ttu, the San Education and Cultural Centre, has won the inaugural Golden Shield Heritage Award in the Outstanding Community Project category awarded by the National Heritage Council (NHC), the South African government institution responsible for "the preservation of the country's heritage." The Outstanding Community Project category recognises exceptional achievement for NHC projects that contribute to changing lives in the communities it targets and contribute towards making communities aware of their heritage, contribute towards poverty alleviation, and empower communities with skills for self-sustenance.

!Khwa ttu is a training centre for San youth on heritage and skills and has a fully equipped conference centre and restaurant. Its work is based on the theme “A celebration of the San culture, present and past, for a better future”. Its mission statement emphasises the restoration of the heritage of the San,  educating the general public about the world of the San, and providing training to the San in various areas.

Natural Justice is collaborating with !Khwa ttu in developing training workshops for San youth based at !Khwa ttu. The trainings will cover relevant national and international legal instruments such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nation's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and intellectual property law relevant to indigenous plants and associated traditional knowledge. It will include case studies on claiming traditional knowledge over Rooibos and Honeybush.  

Read more about the Golden Shield Heritage Award at The New Age here. Read more about !Khwa ttu on their website here.