Decolonizing archival description in African contexts

Discussion
247
Amara Okafor
Jan 10, 2026 1:00 PM

How do we describe materials using descriptive standards developed in Western contexts while respecting African knowledge systems? This is a challenge many of us face.

Some approaches we've been exploring:

  • Parallel descriptions using local terminology
  • Community-contributed metadata
  • Integration of oral history traditions
  • Multilingual descriptions (important for Africa's linguistic diversity)

I'd love to hear how others are tackling this.

6 Replies