Gaining recognition for the preservation of audiovisual materials have been a daunting task, one that took years and concentrated effort from dedicated archivists to rally for. Now, six years later, their work has been rewarded as UNESCO continues to support and encourage everyone to celebrate the World Day for AV Heritage every October 27 in commemoration of the importance audiovisual documents have on one’s nation, one’s culture, and his identity. With the year 2011’s theme of “See, Hear, Learn,” the World AV Day reaches more and more individuals as it shows how these fragile and oft overlooked documents can appeal directly to the senses, regardless of borderlines, disputes, and language barriers.
The Southeast Asia-Pacific Audiovisual Archive Association (SEAPAVAA), as an active member of the Coordinating Council of Audio-Visual Archives Associations (CCAAA), the designated body for this celebration, continues to commit to the mission and vision of this special event. By gathering archives, private or public, national and international, we hope to further strengthen the response and reaction towards preservation work, to foster a conscious effort to save collective memory, and to create more linkages and collaborative work among AV archives for them to understand and learn from each other.
It is in this spirit that I say that the AV archivist’s work is far from over, for everyday new content is being made, and everyday more and more of the world’s audiovisual heritage is lost due to neglect, decay, and the lack of resources, skill, and manpower necessary for the job. Thus, I urge all those who come across a film, any sound recording, a pneumatic tape, or even a video camera to think twice about what it is they are holding in their hands: within their grasp is a potential source of history, culture, and memory, and could very much be a fountain of knowledge from which future generations could draw from. You are the content-maker, the shaper of things to come, and you are capable of safeguarding these captured moments by taking an active role in the preservation and celebration of your audiovisual heritage.
Happy World AV Heritage Day 2011 everyone! As the defender of AV materials and champion for world heritage, may every archivist today feel appreciated just like a proper hero.
Tuenjai Sinthuvnik
SEAPAVAA President