Creating a documentary database in order to preserve and protect intellectual production from different academic institutions in the Central African Republic
On 5 October, Groupe URD and Peace & Development Watch-CAR had the honour of signing protocols with the main Central African academic institutions (l’École nationale d’administration et de magistrature de la République centrafricaine (ENAM), l’école normale supérieur (ENS) et le Rectorat) to confirm that digitisation could begin. This phase of the project aims to digitise documents, such as dissertations, research papers and doctoral theses, from these institutions’ libraries and archives. Establishing this documentary database will help to preserve the country’s intellectual heritage and will serve as a foundation for dialogue involving Central African civil society. Around 11 000 documents, including dissertations, doctoral theses and scientific articles, will be digitised and made accessible to all. It is another way of protecting the Central African Republic’s national heritage!
A press conference was then held at the University of Bangui in the presence of Professor Silla Semballa, the university’s Deputy Rector, and a representative of the ENAM. This was an opportunity to present the overall project to the media and to highlight the urgent need to protect the Central African Republic’s intellectual heritage. Professor Silla Semballa had this to say: “This project is a source of hope for intellectuals, students and all who love their country, as it will at last help us to prevent our work from disappearing […] This project is really beneficial for us. We wish it every success !”
A public debate is due to be held in the near future involving civil society.
Professor Richard Filakota, General Director of ENAM, Professor Silla Sembella, Deputy Rector of the University of Bangui, Kessy Ekomo Soignet, the Director of Peace and Development Watch (PDW-CAR) and Laurent Saillard, who is in charge of the project at Groupe URD, then took part in a radio programme on Guira FM on the topic of “Protecting the intellectual heritage of the Central African Republic and making it available to society”. This was an opportunity to present the project and future perspectives, and inform the population about this initiative.
A training course in digitisation was then run for 25 people (archivists and students) from the partner institutions (ENAM and University of Bangui) and from the Presidential team. The 3-day course covered awareness-raising about the importance of preserving the country’s intellectual heritage, and the theory and practice of the digitisation and conservation process.
The digitisation began immediately at ENAM: 77 theses were digitised, the oldest dating back to April 1967, produced by the first 34 graduates of the institution, which trains the country’s future civil servants. Among the documents is one of the first theses on Central African women and culture.
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The digitisation of the country’s intellectual heritage is part of a wider project which includes a second series of activities involving debates with civil society on a number of different topics. These debates refer to the digitised documentary database that is being made available to all. Test workshops were organised in August 2022 on waste management in Bangui, and youth employment. These helped to understand how academic institutions and civil society actors can work together more closely on societal issues so that the Central African Republic moves forward in a spirit of dialogue rather than confrontation.
