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neWs
Africa in
Australia
goes another
level
he University of Western Australia
T(UWA) recently hosted an exhibition of
previously unseen photographs of the for-
mer Uganda dictator Idi Amin. The images
were part of a trove of more than 75,000
photographic negatives that were un-
earthed in the stores of the Uganda Broad-
casting Corporation, in Kampala, along with
a library of radio reels, and more than 100
films.
Since 2018, UWA, in partnership with the
University of Michigan, have been working Australian newspaper. UWA’s new platform is launching with a
to digitise such material, and to research UWA used the occasion of hosting this range of projects throughout Africa. Howev-
its provenance. In May 2019, the team exhibition to launch its new ‘Africa in Aus- er, they are also seeking new partnerships,
launched the first in a series of exhibitions tralia’ research and exhibition platform. This with companies and organisations working
to bring the material to wider publics, both in platform is developing an Australia-based, across the continent.
Uganda, and internationally. and globally connected, infrastructure for Companies are being asked to help the
The exhibition is accompanied by a richly digitising and researching African heritage, UWA team to identify relevant heritage ma-
illustrated new book: The Unseen Archive both in-country and in museums across terials in their African countries of opera-
of Idi Amin: Photographs from the Ugan- Australia. tion, and to sponsor pilot research projects
da Broadcasting Corporation which was It has the capability to identify relevant to look into these. The UWA team is espe-
pieced together by Derek R. Peterson and collections, to digitise and research these, cially interested in heritage collections and
Richard Vokes, Munich, Prestel. and to mount exhibitions, both in Africa, objects which might tell interesting new sto-
The Idi Amin project has helped UWA and internationally. The platform is also ex- ries about Africa-Australia relations.
achieve the ranking of Australia’s No. 1 uni- porting Australia’s world-leading heritage There is an opportunity for companies to
versity for research in African Studies and and museums expertise to Africa, and it is sponsor pilot studies in their country of in-
History, according to a 2020 survey in The helping African-Australian communities to terest, which can effectively raise their pro-
reconnect with their countries of heritage. file in-country through the media and other
streams and thereby enhancing their social
licence to operate credentials.
Companies can also generate network-
ing opportunities at the highest levels of
government, as exhibitions draw dignitar-
ies, from the Head of State down.
By sponsoring a pilot study, companies
can also benefit from building knowledge of
in-country heritage contexts, which is cru-
cial, given that legislative frameworks and
compliance are changing all the time, as
are public engagements with heritage.
Furthermore, a pilot study can help to
mitigate heritage-based risks, by helping
companies forge links with leading heritage
institutions, and individuals, which can be
drawn upon in the event of a subsequent
heritage-based crisis.
For more information, contact:
richard.vokes@uwa.edu.au;
benjamin.smith@uwa.edu.au;
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