Memory of the World Register – Africa

UNESCO's Memory of the World International Register lists documentary heritage – texts, audio-visual materials, library and archive holdings[1] – that have been judged to be of global importance. The register brings that heritage to the attention of experts and the wider public, promoting the preservation, digitization, and dissemination of those materials.[2] The first inscriptions were added to the register in 1997.[3][4] As of 2023, 496 pieces of documentary heritage had been included in the register.[5] Of these, 35 are from Africa.[6] They include recordings of folk music, ancient languages and phonetics; aged remnants of religious and secular manuscripts; collected lifetime works of renowned figures of literature, science, and music; copies of motion pictures and short films; and accounts documenting changes in the world’s political, economic and social stage.

List by country/territory

  • The Book of Healing from internal and external diseases affecting the body, a 17th-century magico-medical manuscript in Timbuktu, Mali
    The Book of Healing from internal and external diseases affecting the body, a 17th-century magico-medical manuscript in Timbuktu, Mali
  • Reminder to those who do not pay attention to the harms caused by the divergence between believers, an acrostic poem in Timbuktu, Mali
    Reminder to those who do not pay attention to the harms caused by the divergence between believers, an acrostic poem in Timbuktu, Mali
  • Pages from the Letter Journals of Hendrik Witbooi, National Archives of Namibia
    Pages from the Letter Journals of Hendrik Witbooi, National Archives of Namibia
Documentary heritage[A] Country/Territory Custodian(s), Location(s) Year
inscribed 		Reference
Christopher Okigbo Collection Africa Christopher Okigbo Foundation, Brussels

50°49′33″N 4°22′32″E / 50.825953°N 4.375628°E / 50.825953; 4.375628 (Christopher Okigbo Foundation)

2007 [7]
Al-Mustamlah Min Kitab Al-Takmila Algeria National Library of Algeria, Algiers

36°44′55″N 3°04′19″E / 36.748481°N 3.071902°E / 36.748481; 3.071902 (National Library of Algeria)

2017 [8]
First Summit Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement Archives Algeria,
Egypt,
India,
Indonesia,
Serbia 		2023 [9]
Arquivos dos Dembos / Ndembu Archives Angola,
Portugal 		Arquivo Nacional de Angola, Luanda

8°49′04″S 13°13′52″E / 8.817705°S 13.231108°E / -8.817705; 13.231108 (Arquivo Nacional de Angola)

2011 [10]
Colonial archives Benin National Archives, Porto-Novo

6°30′39″N 2°36′25″E / 6.510954°N 2.606833°E / 6.510954; 2.606833 (National Archives, Porto-Novo)

1997 [11]
Memory of the Suez Canal Egypt 1997 [12]
Deeds of Sultans and Princes Egypt National Archives of Egypt, Cairo

30°04′02″N 31°13′38″E / 30.067110°N 31.227230°E / 30.067110; 31.227230 (Egyptian National Library and Archives)

2005 [13]
Persian Illustrated and Illuminated Manuscripts Egypt National Library and Archives of Egypt, Cairo

30°04′02″N 31°13′38″E / 30.067110°N 31.227230°E / 30.067110; 31.227230 (Egyptian National Library and Archives)

2007 [14]
National Library of Egypt's Collection of Mamluk Qur'an Manuscripts Egypt National Archives of Egypt, Cairo

30°04′02″N 31°13′38″E / 30.067110°N 31.227230°E / 30.067110; 31.227230 (Egyptian National Library and Archives)

2013 [15]
Treasures from National Archives and Library Organizations Ethiopia National Archives and Library, Addis Ababa

9°01′04″N 38°44′58″E / 9.017869°N 38.749318°E / 9.017869; 38.749318 (National Archives and Library of Ethiopia)

1997 [16]
Dutch West India Company (Westindische Compagnie) archives Ghana,
Netherlands,
Brazil,
Guyana,
Suriname,
United Kingdom,
United States 		National Archives of Ghana, Accra

5°33′40″N 0°12′29″W / 5.561230°N 0.207952°W / 5.561230; -0.207952 (National Archives of Ghana)

2011 [17]
Royal Archives (1824–1897) Madagascar Department of National Archives, Antananarivo

18°54′24″S 47°31′09″E / 18.906557°S 47.519057°E / -18.906557; 47.519057 (Department of National Archives, Antananarivo)

2009 [18]
Kitāb Shifā al-Asqām al-Āriḍat min al-Ẓahir wa al-Bāṭin min al-Ajsām/the Book of Healing from internal and external diseases affecting the body Mali Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library, Timbuktu

16°46′20″N 3°00′31″W / 16.77227°N 3.00855°W / 16.77227; -3.00855 (Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library)

2017 [19]
Tadkirat al gāfilin ‘anqubhihtilāf al- mu’minin/ Reminder to those who do not pay attention to the harms caused by the divergence between believers Mali Ahmed Baba Institute, Timbuktu

16°46′36″N 3°00′21″W / 16.77663°N 3.00575°W / 16.77663; -3.00575 (Ahmed Baba Institute)

2017 [20][21]
Maṣāliḥ al-Insān al-Mutaʿalliqat bi al-Adyānwa al-Abdān, The human being interests linked to the religions and the body Mali,
Nigeria 		Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library, Timbuktu

16°46′20″N 3°00′31″W / 16.77227°N 3.00855°W / 16.77227; -3.00855 (Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library)

2017 [22][23]
Records of the French Occupation of Mauritius Mauritius Mauritius Archives, Port Louis

20°11′18″S 57°28′05″E / 20.188388°S 57.468040°E / -20.188388; 57.468040 (Mauritius Archives)

1997 [24]
The Records of Indentured Immigration Mauritius 2015 [25]
The Slave Trade and Slavery Records in Mauritius (1721-1892) Mauritius National Archives Department, Coromandel

20°11′16″S 57°27′57″E / 20.1879°S 57.4659°E / -20.1879; 57.4659 (National Archives Department)

2023 [26]
The archival collections on the Bienheureux Père Jacques Désiré Laval - The Apostle of Mauritius Mauritius 2023 [27]
Kitab al-ibar, wa diwan al-mobtadae wa al-khabar Morocco al-Qarawiyyin library, Fez

34°03′51″N 4°58′22″W / 34.064143°N 4.972771°W / 34.064143; -4.972771 (Bibliothèque al-Quaraouiyyine)

2011 [28]
Manuscript of al- Zahrāwīsur Morocco Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc, Rabat

34°00′30″N 6°50′34″W / 34.008402°N 6.842639°W / 34.008402; -6.842639 (Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc)

2017 [29]
Letter Journals of Hendrik Witbooi Namibia 2005 [30]
Fonds of the "Afrique occidentale française" (AOF) Senegal National Archives of Senegal, Dakar

16°46′36″N 3°00′21″W / 16.77663°N 3.00575°W / 16.77663; -3.00575 (Ahmed Baba Institute)

1997 [31]
Collection of old postcards from French West Africa Senegal National Archives of Senegal, Dakar

16°46′36″N 3°00′21″W / 16.77663°N 3.00575°W / 16.77663; -3.00575 (Ahmed Baba Institute)

2015 [32]
William Ponty School Collection of Papers Senegal Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar

16°46′36″N 3°00′21″W / 16.77663°N 3.00575°W / 16.77663; -3.00575 (Ahmed Baba Institute)

2015 [33]
The Bleek collection South Africa University of Cape Town/South African Library, Cape Town

33°57′29″S 18°27′39″E / 33.958056°S 18.460833°E / -33.958056; 18.460833 (Ahmed Baba Institute)

1997 [34]
Archives of the Dutch East India Company South Africa,
Netherlands,
India,
Indonesia,
Sri Lanka 		2003 [35]
Criminal Court Case No. 253/1963 (State Versus N. Mandela and Others) South Africa National Archives and Records Service of South Africa, Pretoria

25°44′11″S 28°12′21″E / 25.736375°S 28.205835°E / -25.736375; 28.205835 (National Archives and Records Service of South Africa)

2007 [36]
Liberation Struggle Living Archive Collection South Africa Doxa Productions, Hout Bay

34°01′00″S 18°23′21″E / 34.016636°S 18.389210°E / -34.016636; 18.389210 (Doxa Productions)

2007 [37]
Archives of the CODESA (Convention For A Democratic South Africa) 1991 - 1992 and Archives of the Multi-Party Negotiating Process 1993 South Africa National Archives and Records Service of South Africa, Pretoria

25°44′11″S 28°12′21″E / 25.736375°S 28.205835°E / -25.736375; 28.205835 (National Archives and Records Service of South Africa)

2013 [38]
German Records of the National Archives Tanzania National Archives, Dar es Salaam

6°48′35″S 39°17′08″E / 6.809694°S 39.285492°E / -6.809694; 39.285492 (National Archives, Dar es Salaam)

1997 [39]
Collection of Arabic Manuscripts and Books Tanzania Zanzibar National Archives, Zanzibar

6°10′35″S 39°12′06″E / 6.1764393°S 39.2016237°E / -6.1764393; 39.2016237 (Zanzibar National Archives)

2003 [40]
Privateering and the international relations of the Regency of Tunis in the 18th and 19th centuries Tunisia National Archives of Tunisia, Tunis

36°47′58″N 10°09′53″E / 36.799444°N 10.164791°E / 36.799444; 10.164791 (National Archives of Tunisia)

2011 [41]
The Abolition of Slavery in Tunisia 1841-1846 Tunisia National Archives of Tunisia, Tunis

36°47′58″N 10°09′53″E / 36.799444°N 10.164791°E / 36.799444; 10.164791 (National Archives of Tunisia)

2017 [42]
The Music holdings in Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger's archives (1910-1932) Tunisia Centre of Arab and Mediterranean Music, Sidi Bou Saïd

36°52′01″N 10°20′44″E / 36.866831°N 10.345667°E / 36.866831; 10.345667 (Centre of Arab and Mediterranean Music)

2023 [43]
Nehanda and Kaguvi mediums’ judgement dockets (April 1897). Case between State versus Nehanda and Kaguvi spirit mediums leading to their execution. Zimbabwe National Archives of Zimbabwe, Harare

17°47′40″S 31°03′50″E / 17.794351°S 31.063766°E / -17.794351; 31.063766 (National Archives of Zimbabwe)

2015 [44]

See also

Notes

^ Names and spellings provided are based on the official list released by the Memory of the World Programme.

References

  1. ^ Diop, Papa Momar; Jordan, Lothar (2022). "The UNESCO Memory of the World Program as a Possible Catalyst for Fostering Peace and Peace Studies in Africa". Peace Studies for Sustainable Development in Africa. Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development. pp. 763–773. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-92474-4_56. ISBN 978-3-030-92473-7.
  2. ^ "64 new inscriptions on UNESCO's Memory of the World Registers". UNESCO Press. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  3. ^ Edmondson, Ray (2020). "Memory of the World: An Introduction". In Edmondson, Ray; Jordan, Lothar; Prodan, Anca Claudia (eds.). The UNESCO Memory of the World Programme: Key Aspects and Recent Developments. Cham: Springer. pp. 21–22. ISBN 978-3-030-18441-4.
  4. ^ "Launch of the International Memory of the World Register 2022-2023 Cycle". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  5. ^ "Documentary heritage: 74 new entries on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. 17 April 2025. Archived from the original on 2025-05-28. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  6. ^ "Memory of the World". UNESCO. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
  7. ^ "Christopher Okigbo Collection". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  8. ^ "Al – Mustamlah Min Kitab Al – Takmila". UNESCO Memory of the World. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  9. ^ "First Summit Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement Archives". UNESCO Memory of the World. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
  10. ^ "Arquivos dos Dembos / Ndembu Archives". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  11. ^ "Colonial Archives". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  12. ^ "Memory of the Suez Canal". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
  13. ^ "Deeds of Sultans and Princes". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  14. ^ "Persian Illustrated and Illuminated Manuscripts". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  15. ^ "The National Library of Egypt's Collection of Mamluk Qur'an Manuscripts". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  16. ^ "Treasures from National Archives and Library Organizations". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  17. ^ "Dutch West India Company (Westindische Compagnie) Archives". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  18. ^ "Royal Archives (1824-1897)". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  19. ^ "Kitāb Shifā al-Asqām al-Āriḍat min al-Ẓahir wa al-Bāṭin min al-Ajsām/the Book of Healing from internal and external diseases affecting the body". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  20. ^ "Tadkirat al gāfilin 'anqubhihtilāf al- mu'minin/ Reminder to those who do not pay attention to the harms caused by the divergence between believers". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  21. ^ "A reminder to those who do not pay attention to the harms caused by the divergence between believer". UNESCO International Centre for Documentary Heritage. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  22. ^ "Maṣāliḥ al-Insān al-Mutaʿalliqat bi al-Adyānwa al-Abdān, The human being interests linked to the religions and the body". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  23. ^ Adewumi, Afolasade A. (July 2019). "Historical Treasures in Ruins: Salvaging Archives in Nigeria". Art Antiquity and Law. 24 (2): 159. ISSN 1362-2331 – via HeinOnline.
  24. ^ "Records of the French Occupation of Mauritius". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  25. ^ "The Records of Indentured Immigration". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  26. ^ "The Slave Trade and Slavery Records in Mauritius (1721-1892)". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
  27. ^ "The archival collections on the Bienheureux Père Jacques Désiré Laval - The Apostle of Mauritius". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
  28. ^ "Kitab al-ibar, wa diwan al-mobtadae wa al-khabar". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  29. ^ "Manuscript of al- Zahrāwīsu". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  30. ^ "Letter Journals of Hendrik Witbooi". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  31. ^ "Fonds of the "Afrique occidentale française" (AOF)". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  32. ^ "Collection of old postcards from French West Africa". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  33. ^ "William Ponty School Collection of Papers". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  34. ^ "The Bleek Collection". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  35. ^ "Archives of the Dutch East India Company". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  36. ^ "Criminal Court Case No. 253/1963 (State Versus N. Mandela and Others)". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  37. ^ "Liberation Struggle Living Archive Collection". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  38. ^ "Archives of the CODESA (Convention For A Democratic South Africa) 1991 - 1992 and Archives of the Multi-Party Negotiating Process 1993". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  39. ^ "German Records of the National Archives". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  40. ^ "Collection of Arabic Manuscripts and Books". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  41. ^ "Privateering and the international relations of the Regency of Tunis in the 18th and 19th centuries". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  42. ^ "The Abolition of Slavery in Tunisia 1841-1846". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  43. ^ "The Music holdings in Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger's archives (1910-1932)". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2025-02-14.
  44. ^ "Nehanda and Kaguvi mediums' judgement dockets (April 1897). Case between State versus Nehanda and Kaguvi spirit mediums leading to their execution". UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
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