Ever since its establishment in 1944 The Ethiopian National Archives and Library Agency has been collecting and archiving ancient and modern publications and literary assets in the country.
Shimelis Taye Public Relation Director at the Office told the Ethiopian Herald that, Ethiopia has a fast-growing population of more than hundred million, speaking over 75 different languages and many more dialects, with numerous unique ethnic groups, beliefs, and traditions. Over 83 nations, nationalities and peoples living in the country has its own culture which represents them and differ from other ethnic groups.
According to him, protecting and preserving cultural heritage of the country is not only the responsibility of the agency rather every Ethiopian national is responsible in protecting the heritages from damage.
He said that, the main objective and responsibility of the agency from the beginning is to record and protect all cultural things of the country whether written, unwritten, published or unpublished, recorded audio or video everything and keep them to pass down from generation to generation.
He stated that, the agency is doing its level best in keeping and protecting those cultural things for better research and investigation activity. The authority is keeping all cultural assets written by Ethiopians before a century.
He pointed out that, the problem is that, absence of individuals who were doing a research and investigation on the heritages. Even the authority creates conducive environment and makes it accessible for the customers or visitors, since it is a national library almost no research is done on the heritage.
The agency has preserved various documents that include diplomatic letters, boundary related letter, court, domestic letter, and the first printed newspaper in the country, among others. The agency records every document in microfilm or digital form in order to make easily accessible for everyone no need of going to Tana, Lalibela or other parts of the country.
Most of the ancient documents were written by Arabic and Geez languages and this is another problem and creates gap and difficult for the current generations to understand about the document easily and those books need to be translated in ways that, the current generation understands for better research activity.
He stressed that, youth must study the norms, culture and values of their ancestry and done research on them. Language is something learnt within a few months or years, so why not youth have learn the language rather than translating them in order to properly understand the written documents.
On the other hand there is a question of ownership by the side of Churches, Mosques or others. Even there are individuals who keep heritages handed down from their forefathers at home due to lack knowhow about their significance. Those religious institutions and other individuals want to keep those heritages by ownership. This may expose those heritages for unnecessary activity may be stolen. This year only over 100 written documents try to out of the country in illegal ways were tried to be smuggled. This indicates that, absence of giving due attention for the heritages and lack of knowhow about their benefit.
As a way forward especially government and other concerned bodies give due attention in protecting and preserving them properly and make them for research activity. In addition religious institutions also protect those resources from damage and may be found their own museum in a place where those resources were kept in their respective religions. Ethiopian Orthodox Affairs must protect and follow up heritage related to its religions as well Islamic affairs. It is difficult to take away from them, because it is their own property.
Those heritages are manifestation of all Ethiopians not only the resource of one individual or churches or mosque since they were recorded by UNESCO by the name of Ethiopian and they hold a fingerprint of our grandparents and every Ethiopian national should keep them properly.
The Ethiopian Herald May 04/ 2011
BY HAILE DEMEKE
