Nelson Mandela Foundation celebrates the restored Rivonia Trial Sound Archive

We invite you to join us in celebrating the digitisation of the Rivonia Trial recordings. The event will kick off at 18:00 with an artistic performance inspired by the trial recordings, followed by presentations on the genesis of the project and the digitisation and restoration process by the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa (NARSSA), the custodians of the archives; and the French National Audiovisual Institute (INA), who developed technology to restore the archives.

By celebrating the newly and fully restored and digitised sound archives, the event notably encourages researchers, writers, artists and other citizens to delve into and remember this deeply pivotal moment in South African history. The processes of restoration and digitisation of the archives also shed light on the objectives and challenges of heritage management, including the technical challenges that hamper the accessibility to such heritage for future generations.

The “Listening to the Rivonia Trial” event ultimately aims to showcase the potential of the archives for research, art and culture and to celebrate the unique heritage that the restored sound archives represent to the South African public.

The event will kick off with a live performance incorporating the trial recordings at 6pm sharp.

RSVP to ethel@nelsonmandela.org by 21 September 2018.