An Emirati is to lead a Unesco programme to preserve heritage documents for our children and to save the Memory of the World.
As the destruction of ancient buildings by ISIL in Palmyra shows, war and violent upheaval can have a devastating effect on world heritage.
The same can be said of documentary heritage, which is particularly vulnerable to destruction but also to looting and sale on the black market.
In an attempt to preserve what has survived down the centuries, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has established its Memory of the World initiative, preserving and digitising this heritage for future generations.
This month the International Advisory Committee (IAC) for Memory of the World gathered for three days in Abu Dhabi, the first time it has met in an Arab country.
The gathering was significant in other ways. It led to the election of Dr Abdulla El Reyes, director-general of the UAE’s National Archives for 15 years, as its chair for the next two years and inscribed 44 new nominations to the Memory of the World International Register.
Dr El Reyes, a former educator, says his nomination was a testament to the good work of the National Archives, under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“What we are doing at the UAE National Archives is in line with the objectives, vision and mission of the Memory of the World,” he says.
The Archives, he says, recently finished digitising historical archives dated from 1507 to 1971. The next step is the organisation of the records from more than 200 government institutions.
The National Archives also offers its expertise outside the UAE. It is supporting the renovation of the Napoleon Museum library on the island of Elba, Italy, and is also working to preserve Iranian and Albanian archives that include Islamic manuscripts dating to the 7th century.
“Everything we are doing today is putting the UAE on the world heritage map. We succeeded at this and other nations and international organisations are looking into our best practices,” he says.
“Our IT infrastructure is the best in the world and we have created a platform for innovation; using the latest technology to protect the memory of the nation and the memory of the world.”
One example is a mobile phone app which provides access to the work of the National Archives and has already been presented to the International Council on Archives in Iceland, a week before the Abu Dhabi meeting.
“We discussed this and the opportunity to also carry Unesco’s activities on these different modes of technology; through mobile applications, Facebook and Instagram,” says Dr El Reyes.
Unesco offers practical assistance, advice, training or coordination to partner organisations, whom it encourages to produce catalogues, books, CDs and other media to – in most cases – be made universally accessible.
Since 1992, up to 350 items have been listed on the register, ranging from a census of Iceland taken in 1703 to the first recordings of the human voice made in France in the 19th century and photographs and videos from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa).
This year’s IAC (International Advisory Committee) meeting in Abu Dhabi featured a record number of proposals, with 87 nominations from 61 countries. Of these, 44 were approved.
“In past experiences, we have one-third of proposals approved; one-third ‘not recommended’, which means they are returned for revision; and one-third usually completely rejected, which are not complying with the selection criteria of the programme,” says Iskra Panevska, Memory of the World senior programme specialist.
She stresses the scrutiny of the selection process, and the credibility, integrity, experience and expertise of the judges. The IAC, appointed by Unesco’s director-general, has 14 members and meets every two years.
“The criteria are: first of all the universal value; then the world significance; then the uniqueness, the rarity of the document; the time, the place; who prepared the documents; and what special events they’re reflecting,” she says.
“The second thing I would like to stress is that Unesco does not pass judgment of the content or the historical events.
“We just look at the world significance and the universal value of the documents that are being presented, and whether they meet the criteria or not.”
That means choices can sometimes be controversial. Japan was notably upset by this year’s acceptance of documents relating to the Nanjing Massacre. The collection consists of three parts: one relating to the massacre itself, from 1937 to 1938; another to the post-war investigation and trials of war criminals; and, finally, files documented by Chinese judiciary authorities in the 1950s.
Calling for reform of the project, Japan’s foreign ministry called it “extremely regrettable that a global organisation that should be neutral and fair, entered the documents in the Memory of the World register, despite the repeated pleas made by the Japanese government”.
At the same time, two Japanese entries were also inscribed in the register, including a collection of materials illustrating the internment and repatriation of up to 800,000 Japanese military personnel and civilians held in labour camps in the USSR.
Another Chinese nomination, documenting the Japanese military’s use of “comfort women”, was rejected.
While Iran had two nominations inscribed this year, including a joint entry with Germany, the Arab world did not. A Palestinian series of posters, an Egyptian coin collection and two Omani entries – a Quranic manuscript and documents covering management of Aflaj irrigation systems – were also turned down.
So far the Arab world has been underrepresented on the register. There are only nine Arab entries, from just five nations, and almost half of them from Egypt.
Unesco has supported projects, such as a Yemeni CD-ROM documenting the evolution of Arabic calligraphy, although these are not registered on the list of documentary heritage, but part of Memory of the World’s aim to boost preservation.
Ms Panevska says Dr El Reyes was selected as the new chair not just because of the National Archives’ long-time partnership with the project and its compliance with the highest professional standards, but because of his personal experience as a former chairman of the marketing committee of the International Council on Archives.
“Not long ago, the National Archives also established a centre of excellence, and Unesco greatly supports this,” she says. “But, yet another reason was the fact that the Arab region is underrepresented on the Memory of the World international register.”
The National Archives, she believes, could help to raise awareness among Arab countries and governments of the importance of preserving documentary heritage and providing wide accessibility to such heritage.
Ms Panevska calls this the “foundation of building national identities” and the basis to building greater understanding among people.
“In this globalised world, which is becoming more contradictory, we need a better understanding of our past, in order to be able to build a better future; and that’s exactly what Unesco is very much interested in – promoting cultural diversity, promoting multilingualism, promoting equally accessible cultures and a better understanding of cultures. Because if you look around at all these conflicts, they come up because of misunderstandings of what the other cultures are,” she says.
Dr El Reyes agrees that it is good for the Arab world that an Arab is leading the project.
“As always, our vision is that the sky is the limit and we never stop anywhere. We will be leading the archival heritage movement throughout the world.
“We already have some projects identified, targeting youth, students and teenagers, and I’m very optimistic that this will create a noise among the international community.
“What we are doing towards fighting terrorism, fighting fundamentalists, for the peace of the world; this is the peace that the UAE was always known for.”
Dr El Reyes says Sheikh Zayed’s humanitarian vision for charity and peace has been passed down through the generations, and remains a touchstone of the current Emirati leadership.
“And it is all in practice. It is not words or theories that we are talking about. You see more than 200 nationalities living in peace and harmony in the UAE. The UAE is a role model for the Arab world and the rest of the world for the best living and tolerance; living in peace and harmony.
“The unification of the UAE is something unique – it is a unique experience that must be transferred to other societies. How did we do it? It was a collaborative action between the leaders and the people of the country – and those who live in the country.”
Reflecting on the documentary heritage of Founding President Sheikh Zayed, he says: “This is very important documentary heritage, which nobody can oppose. Other nominations, maybe they will be contested, but this one, I don’t think anybody can oppose.”
halbustani@thenational.ae