Message from Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, on the
occasion of the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, Theme: "Audiovisual
Heritage as a witness of Cultural Identity", 27 October 2008
Today
is World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, a day for reflecting on the
power of film, television and radio to transmit ideas and information
and in so doing nurture dialogue among and between communities around
the world.
While heritage permits us to understand the past,
it also reflects the cultural identities and diversity of communities
living today, with audiovisual heritage, in particular, being a primary
means for contemporary societies to portray their values and express
their creativity. Indeed, radio and television are the most widely used
means of transmitting cultural products globally. As well as being
important sources of information, the immediacy of sound recordings and
moving images, with their power to span linguistic, cultural or other
barriers, permit peoples from different walks of life to understand
each other and share experiences directly.
The proclamation
of 2008 by the United Nations General Assembly as the International
Year of Languages, which UNESCO has the privilege to lead, was
particularly significant for audiovisual heritage, as images and sounds
offer the possibility of promoting linguistic diversity and fostering
mutual understanding. The development of local television and radio
content, as well as the ability to access different cultures and
perspectives through national and international channels are
particularly important in this regard as they further enrich global
diversity and open paths to dialogue. But while the role of audiovisual
records in bridging gaps is indisputable, the format is intrinsically
fragile and their disappearance would mean the loss of a significant
portion of our global heritage, along with the memory and identity of
the people it depicts. It was in part this fragility that led the 33rd
session of UNESCO’s General Conference to declare a World Day
for Audiovisual Heritage.
The
collective memory of the different peoples of the world provides the
foundation for sustainable development, the defence of basic rights and
an understanding of the past. But that memory needs to remain
accessible. Sadly, much of it is currently endangered as a result of
obsolescence, neglect, deliberate destruction or simple ignorance of
the part memory plays in nourishing each and every culture. Sometimes
access to heritage is refused by its custodians, leading not only to a
break in the link between the past, present and future but also to an
impoverishment of diversity.
Preservation of heritage
entails major efforts where printed and written documents are
concerned, but audiovisual records are far more endangered – and on a
larger scale – than conventional carriers. Their preservation is
affected by factors as diverse as the spontaneous ignition of nitrate
films or the vinegar syndrome of acetate film; bacterial or fungal
infestations; colour fading or sound deterioration; sticky tape
syndrome or demagnetization and technical obsolescence; as well as lack
of legislation and training curricula for professional or technical
staff.
Consequently, there is an urgent need not only for
greater awareness of these issues, but also for the allocation of the
human and financial resources for preservation so that future
generations may benefit from the legacies of the past. Without
concerted action, this heritage is doomed, and with it, the existence
of some indigenous communities whose voices now live on only through
audiovisual recordings made before their world vanished.
On this,
the second World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, I call upon UNESCO’s
partners and friends: governments, international organizations, civil
society and the private sector to work with us to ensure that
audiovisual heritage receives the recognition it deserves both as a
witness of cultural identity and a custodian of the world’s cultural
and linguistic diversity.
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