Thousands of rare documents, oral history interviews and film and video footage are to be transferred to digital format and preserved for posterity as a result of a generous grant of hi-tech archival recording equipment.
The equipment was handed over to the Robben Island Museum on Tuesday by the Japanese government.
The hand-over ceremony was addressed by several prominent people, including Robben Island Museum's chief executive Paul Langa, Japanese ambassador Toshinori Shigeie, struggle legend Ahmed Kathrada and Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan.
Langa said the donation of the equipment by the Japanese government was a clear example of "friends who had seen our need" and followed through with a grant in aid that would enhance the museum's ability to properly archive the records.
Among the records that are in the museum's possession are an original Freedom Charter, as well as footage from the historic Congress of the People, held at Kliptown on June 25 to 26, 1955.
On hand to receive the digital cameras, top-of-the range scanner and other equipment, Robben Island Museum council chairperson Kathrada noted that South Africa had "very strong ties with Japan".
Japanese ambassador Shigeie said Robben Island was " one of the most important landmarks of human struggles for freedom, and that it was "firmly imprinted as an archetype in the collective consciousness of South African history".
"Archival materials of these hard days must be digitised and conserved from disintegration so that Robben Island's history and legacy are preserved." - Staff Reporter
