SA’s photographic history could be lost to future generations
Photographers need government's assistance when it comes to copyright laws
SA has a rich photographic history stored in books, films, archives and art galleries. However, most important photograph negatives are privately held and waiting to be discovered like those published in Basil Breakey’s Beyond the Blues, or Ian Bruce Huntley’s Keeping Time. A photographic heritage resource is the missing link. A building with a digital facility that holds, preserves and provides access to copyrighted works of historical interest could help define the future of photographers. It could also preserve work that risks being lost or taken abroad. A well-functioning archive is the Hugh Tracey International Library of African Music in Grahamstown. A complete digital copy of its collection is backed up in the Mountain Archives of Norway. The Legal Deposit Act enforced by the Department of Arts and Culture could be used to create functional archives that are maintained for future generations. The department does good work in archiving printed news publications, government doc...
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