One step at a time:

Abstract

One of the rhetoric slogans in the South African archival arena had been 'taking archives to the people' and the need to transform public archives from a domain of the elite into a community resource through inclusive archives. This slogan was expressed in the early days of democracy to express the belief that the shaping power of archives should be used to promote archives as a tool for reconciliation, social cohesion, and nation building.  Due to limited funding, the euphoria surrounding the slogans has waned, as little action has been taken. This paper used a literature review and visits to the Comrades House Museum to explore the possibility of transforming archives by including silenced voices in national archival systems, such as athletic memories from running events such as the Comrades Marathon. The paper argues that this is possible because South African archival legislation allows for the collection of non-public records valuable to the country in order to fill gaps that stem from the colonial era. The paper recommends that archival institutions in South Africa consider incorporating memories of athletes, particularly winners of marathons such as the Comrades Marathon, to take a step towards inclusive memory. In this regard, even if the Comrades Marathon Association collects and digitises such memories in the form of photos and other items such running shoes and vests of the winners, the inventory can be incorporated into the national archival portal that is accessed via AToM. This may allow the collection to be made freely available under a Creative Commons licence. In this regard, accessibility could be greatly simplified and extended to users all over the world. Finally, archival repositories should begin collecting memories of international events held in South Africa, such as the 1999 All Africa Games, the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Records of such events can be gathered from government offices and individuals in order to build and supplement the country's archives. As a result, the country will take a step towards inclusive archives, and more people may be interested in archives as the holdings reflect diversity.