UNcover your Heritage.
REcover your Memory.
DIScover your Identity.
A cornerstone of the Memory of the World programme is the preservation of the endangered, vulnerable and fragile documentary heritage of the world. Another pillar of the programme is to protect against cultural amnesia. For countries in the Caribbean wrestling with the consequential issues of post-colonialism there is another challenge - that of unearthing the region's heritage whether it is buried in people's homes or national institutions, be they in the region or beyond. Heritage and memory are intrinsically intertwined with the concept of identity. It is therefore important, as part of the maturation process of nationhood, that decided steps are taken such the Memory of the World programme, to ensure the existence of a solid patrimony of the Caribbean for future generations. This inherited knowledge provides access to information about the region as seen through Caribbean lens rather than of a colonial prism.
Image taken from The Caribbean Slave Trade Archives
Under the theme Uncover, Recover and Discover
this programme addresses the process of preserving the endangered,
vulnerable and fragile documentary heritage by shedding light on
records which forefront the Caribbean as an important creator and
contributor to the world's documentary heritage from the perspective of
within rather that from without. More importantly the programme seeks
to stem any potential cultural amnesia that will occur if determined
steps are not taken to preserve the heritage of the region. These activities are therefore undoubtedly in harmony with the intent of UNESCO in promoting and developing its Memory of the World programme in Barbados and beyond.