Wikisource Conference 2025/Submissions/Closing the Gap: How Wikisource Can Preserve Ghana's Cultural Heritage
- Title of the submitted proposal: Closing the Gap: How Wikisource Can Preserve Ghana's Cultural Heritage" (Lightening Talk)
- Description:
Ghana's cultural heritage is vast and rich, yet much of it remains undocumented or stored in physical archives that are difficult to access. Many traditional proverbs, oral histories, and historical documents are at risk of being lost. For example:
Historical speeches like Kwame Nkrumah’s independence declarations and state addresses. Old manuscripts and publications from Ghana’s independence movement and earlier colonial times. Without proper preservation and digitization, these valuable pieces of history could be forgotten.
In this lightning talk, I will share my experience visiting the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation Archive Library, where I encountered hundreds of original music cassettes, CDs, and historic books that played a crucial role in Ghana’s history—most of which cannot be found online. Similarly, at the Daily Graphic library, I discovered hundreds of original newspapers from before, during, and after Ghana's independence.
These are just a few examples of the untapped opportunities that exist for digitization through Wikisource. This talk will highlight the immense potential for collaboration with other communities who have undertaken similar work, opening up opportunities to preserve and share our cultural heritage on a global scale through Wikisource
- Relationship to Wikisource or to the theme: The session directly relates to the theme "Wikisource: Transform & Preserve Heritage Digitally" by showcasing how Wikisource can play a critical role in preserving and making accessible Ghana's rich cultural heritage.
- Username of speaker(s): Ruby D-Brown
- Session type: Lightening Talk
- Duration: 10 minutes
- Outcomes:
Participants will gain a better understanding of the importance of preserving Ghana's cultural heritage and the role of Wikisource in this process.
The session will enhance connections among attendees, encouraging collaborative efforts between different communities and organizations that have engaged in similar digitization projects.