Minister Marais launches National Archives Awareness Week | Western Cape Government

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Minister Marais launches National Archives Awareness Week

7 June 2022

The Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport officially launched National Archives Awareness Week at the Western Cape Archives in Roeland Street on Monday 6 June 2022.

National Archives Awareness Week is celebrated annually, to raise awareness about the important role that archives play in society and other related issues.

Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais, delivered the opening speech at the launch event.

“National Annual Archives Awareness Week is a reflection of the continued robust growth in the use of the services that the Western Cape Archives is able to offer as a specialised heritage-sector institution contributing towards the larger heritage economy of the Western Cape,” Minister Marais said.

“The Western Cape Archives preserves an extensive historical-VOC and colonial-era archive which continues to attract scholars and researchers from across the world. Many of the most researched themes such as slavery, history of the Cape’s towns and farms, trade, as well as the history of the Cape continues to have a strong presence amongst researchers, with the histories of Tesselaarsdal; Langa; Bokmakirie; Hout Bay; Somerset Road; and 18th century Swellendam featuring amongst researcher’s interests in all these years.

“Most research of these records is done in the Reading Room, by researchers locally and internationally also researching their family history (genealogy) estate papers, divorce papers, land matters, chieftaincy etc.  With the newly promulgated Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act, 2019, there has been increased number of researchers searching for information.”

This year’s celebrations will take place under the theme “100 years of archival legislation in South Africa” to honour the centennial anniversary of the promulgation of the first South African Archives Act in May 1922.

The rest of the events taking place in Roeland Street this week will all be open to the public. These include rare opportunities like a guided, behind the scenes tour of the Archives and the ever-popular genealogy workshop.

For information on the events and how to participate, visit our Archives Week webpage.

Media Enquiries: 

Tania Colyn
Acting Spokesperson for Minister Anroux Marais
Tel: 076 093 4913