National Archives Signs MOU with UNESCO for Free Aid Project in C?te d'Ivoire

Supporting Records Management in Africa in Collaboration with UNESCO

The Amadou Hampate Ba Foundation in C?te d'Ivoire holds unpublished manuscripts of Amadou Hampate Ba, research works on African oral literature, manuscripts from international conferences on various topics, and diplomatic correspondence.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 29th, the National Archives of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that on the 30th, it will sign a memorandum of understanding between the Korean government and UNESCO to promote the 'Amadou Hamp?t? B? Foundation Archive Preservation and Digitization Project' at the National Archives in Nara, Korea.

The signing ceremony will be held both online and on-site at the Seongnam National Archives. Representing Korea, Choi Jae-hee, Director of the National Archives, will attend, and representing UNESCO, Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO, will participate. Representing C?te d'Ivoire, Allou Wanyou Eug?ne BITI, Ambassador of C?te d'Ivoire to Korea, will attend, along with about 20 people including officials from the Amadou Hamp?t? B? Foundation and UNESCO.

Amadou Hamp?t? B? (1901?1991) was a world-renowned ethnologist from Mali in West Africa, widely known as the "Black Intellectual of Africa," and a famous writer who won the first Prix Tropiques for his autobiographical novel "The Child of the Plains." He was a prominent African figure who served as a UNESCO Executive Board member from 1962 to 1970.

This project was prepared at UNESCO's proposal to preserve and digitize the important archival heritage of C?te d'Ivoire, "Amadou Hamp?t? B?," over four years from this year to 2025. The project budget is approximately 700 million KRW, and the "Republic of Korea - UNESCO International Centre for Documentary Heritage (UNESCO ICDH)* - UNESCO Regional Office (C?te d'Ivoire Abidjan)" will jointly promote the project.

Choi Jae-hee, Director of the National Archives, said, "It is very meaningful that Korea, which is receiving great expectations and attention from the international community through the hosting and establishment of the UNESCO International Centre for Documentary Heritage, is cooperating with UNESCO, which has high expertise and long experience in international cooperation, to promote a project to protect humanity's precious archival heritage endangered by the harsh environment in Africa," adding, "The National Archives will continue to actively promote projects to discover and protect important archival heritage at risk to contribute to the international community."