Oral History Unit

Sponsored by the United States (US) Embassy, the Oral History Unit was launched and inaugurated on Thursday 12 May 2005 by His Excellency Mr John Prince Ambassador of USA.

The purpose of having an Oral History Unit is to promote the preservation of historical information about individuals, families, past happenings and important events which have marked the history of the country and everyday life activities through the use of audiotapes, videotapes or transcriptions of planned interviews. These valuable source of information are important to complement other documentary heritage and can be used for historical and social research.

In 2005, the Unit has produced recordings of “Cyclone Carol”. Since 2019, the Unit has been revamped.

NAD Production

• Outreach Programme

Each year the Department organizes guided visits for senior citizens, NGOs and outreach activities for Primary and Secondary School students to allow them to get acquainted with the Department, its functions and the importance of its holdings. The Audio Visual Unit provides audio visual assistance like projection, public address system and photography.

• Photographic Documentation

There exist many patrimonial buildings, structures and places in the country. As major developments are taking place such as improvements in the road infrastructure and the introduction of the Metro Express, the country has embraced an important change in its landscape. Therefore, photograghic documentation is carried out to capture these changes.

• Interviews

Based on a yearly workplan, research projects are carried out throughout interviews of individuals or group of person about past/present happenings and events. For example, POST-COVID micro trottoir and Ex-President Cassam Uteem interviews on Independence.

Legal Deposits

• The Oral History Unit makes acquisition of other audio visual documentations through legal deposit for preservation and sustainable access to information.