Acknowledging the significance for Australians of today’s apology by the Federal Parliament to the Stolen Generations, the National Film and Sound Archive will ensure electronic media coverage of the event is fully archived as part of the National Collection.
‘We will of course be capturing the full range of television and radio coverage of the apology and associated commentary,’ said the NFSA’s Curator of Indigenous Collections, Liz McNiven. ‘But we are also taking the opportunity to connect with the many Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians who have come to Canberra to be part of the event. We’ve been excited by the way the apology is helping us introduce the NFSA to a wide new audience.’
Liz McNiven reports that a number of Indigenous people travelling to Canberra for the event have also made time to visit the NFSA to view material related to their community held in the Collection.
‘The NFSA is committed to a repatriation program which has already seen significant cultural material from the Collection restored to its traditional owners,’ she said. ‘And the apology is proving to be a great catalyst for progressing this work.’
Coverage of the official opening of Parliament, which, for the first time in Australia’s history began with a traditional welcome to country by Indigenous elders, will also be preserved in the NFSA’s Collection.
[release from Avviso PR]