The National Archives of Namibia on Thursday opened its first-ever in-house records restoration facility.

The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture indicated that the opening of the facility is the result of a collaboration between the governments of Namibia and Germany, through the Landesarchiv (State Archive) Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart.

Germany’s Ambassador to Namibia, Herbert Beck, said during the opening that national archives guard the written and orally recorded memories of a nation and are a valuable source of information for its citizens.

“We want to jointly work on our colonial past and turn a new leaf for our cooperation. This includes connecting Namibian and German museums, universities and archives through joint scientific and cultural cooperation projects,” Beck said.

Also speaking at the event was the Deputy Executive Director for Life-Long Learning, Arts and Culture, Gerard Vries, who said national archives are responsible for providing well-documented, well preserved records that reflect the history of the Namibian nation.

“They ensure that records of national importance are preserved for future generations,” Vries said.

Chief archivist Muningandu Tjeriko also said restoration is key as it will help to retain materials and enable records to be digitalised.

The German government in addition donated materials valued at N.dollars 1.3 million to the restoration facility.

Two officials from the Landesarchiv (State Archive) Baden-Württemberg were sent to Namibia to assist National Archives staff members with the setting up of the facility, which currently employs two trained archivists.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency