Those who may find themseves asked why archives are important may find it
useful to refer the INDEPENDENT newspaer on Saturady 27 April.
Reporting from the Gaza strip, Robert Fisk comments:
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ARE DUPLICATING THEIR FILES. EVERYONE KNOWSWHAT HAPPENED
TO THE COMPUTERISED ARCHIVES OF THE PALESTINIAN MINISTRIES IN RAMALLAH AND
NABLUS AND JENIN; THEY WERE STOLEN BY THE ISRAELISOLDIERSBECAUSE, IN THE
IMPERISHABLE WORDS OF ONE ISRAELIOFFICER:"DOCUMENTS HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT
VALUE"
Its not so long since Kosovo, Bosnia and the seizure of the PLO archives in
Beirut in 1982. This is not like looting works of art - archives are the
heart and soul and memory of a community, and are perceived as the key to
individual identity as we saw with the allegations in Kosovo. They are also
a tool which when use by opponents can end up in the torture chamber or the
unmarked grave. Things do not come much more important than that.
A cheerful thought for a Monday morning.
Bruce Jackson
29 April 2002
|