World Day for Audiovisual Heritage an Occasion to Raise Awareness of Importance of Audiovisual Documents

Doha, October 26 (QNA) - The world celebrates the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (WDAH) on Oct. 27 of each year. The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is a commemoration of the adoption, in 1980 by the 21st General Conference, of the Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images. The World Day provides an occasion to raise general awareness of the need to take urgent measures and to acknowledge the importance of audiovisual documents. Audiovisual archives tell us stories about people’s lives and cultures from all over the world. They represent a priceless heritage which is an affirmation of our collective memory and a valuable source of knowledge since they reflect the cultural, social and linguistic diversity of our communities. They help us grow and comprehend the world we all share. Conserving this heritage and ensuring it remains accessible to the public and future generations is a vital goal for all memory institutions as well as the public at large. In Qatar, the Qatar National Library (QNL) is making significant efforts to preserve audiovisual heritage through its Himaya program, which trains those responsible for the audiovisual heritage, not only within the library but also in the Arab and Middle Eastern region, as QNL serves as a center for the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). In a statement to Qatar news Agency (QNA) on the occasion, Head of Collection Access at QNL's Heritage Library Maryam Al Mutawa said that on the occasion of the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, they at the Qatar National Library realize the immense value of the audiovisual heritage for all Qataris and residents in the region. "As we reach pivotal moments in human history, preserving these priceless treasures has become more necessary than ever," Maryam Al Mutawa said. "We have worked diligently for over a decade, even before the library's opening, to digitize these materials and make them accessible through the digital repository and Qatar Digital Library, using the latest available technology," she said, stressing that by preserving this delicate aspect of the heritage, "we conserve and protect it for the benefit of those passionate about history, traditions, audio, and stories in the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf region, as well as preserving it for future generations, allowing them to discover and understand their ancestors and learn their traditions." On the other hand, individual and personal efforts play a significant role in preserving audiovisual heritage. The Qatari collector acknowledges their pioneering role in this field and values the treasures they hold. In this regard, Kamal Naji, owner of a specialized private museum for audiovisual collectibles, said in a similar statement to QNA, that heritage is a global human legacy shared by the peoples of the world, noting that this is evidenced by the fact that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is concerned with it. He pointed out that any individual has the right to access this heritage and learn about its history. It is possible for any person to learn about heritage by visiting national museums of countries, and bringing special souvenirs from the country he visited, Kamal Naji added. 

Kamal Naji dedicated a large room in his house, which has become a specialized mini museum. In this room, he displays his audiovisual collectibles, starting with the phonograph (gramophone) invented by the American scientist Thomas Edison in 1887. He possesses a copy made in 1900, along with old cameras, phonograph machines, cinema projectors, video equipment, cassette recording machines, and much more. Due to his passion and love for this hobby that has grown with him since childhood, whenever he watches a film or listens to an audio recording, he is transported back to the old days. He emphasized that inventions related to the audiovisual field, especially in their early stages before rapid development and innovation in recent decades, demonstrate the greatness and genius of humanity, as initially, they were just ideas. In this regard, Kamal Naji explained that contemporary historians have clarified in their books that inventors like Thomas Edison, who conducted over 200 experiments to create certain devices, showed unwavering determination with each failure, adding that Edison did not start from scratch but built on the work of those who came before him, represented by the camera, which had its first sparks of invention credited to the Muslim optical scientist Al-Hassan ibn Al-Haytham, author of "Kitab al-Manaẓir" (Book of Optics). The early camera was called "qamara", but due to the absence of the letter 'Q' in Latin languages, it was translated as "camera." He also pointed out that many people come to him to satisfy their passion for seeing their recordings on old audiovisual equipment and converting them into modern formats for listening, watching, preserving, and safeguarding them from disappearing. At the same time, he noted that their feelings are indescribable when they see their history and memories. In addition, Kamal Naji hailed the efforts of certain government entities that encourage collectors and private museum owners, such as Qatar Museums, which has been organizing the "Mal Lawal" exhibition for years. He said that he received an invitation to participate in the fourth edition of the exhibition scheduled for December. The exhibition, he said, will evoke memories of video games from the 1990s and how game collectors preserve memories from an exciting and significant period in the field of video games. The 33rd session of UNESCO's General Conference adopted 33 C/Resolution 53 to proclaim Oct. 27 as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, in commemoration of the adoption, in 1980 by the 21st session of the General Conference, of the Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images. The 2023 World Day for Audiovisual Heritage will be celebrated on Oct. 27 under the theme "Your Window to the World". The celebration is key initiative for UNESCO and the Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA) to honour audiovisual preservation professionals and institutions that safeguard our heritage for future generations. (QNA)