The Heritage Photo Lab At The Institute Of African Studies Promotes Photographic Heritage Conservation In Ghana

The Heritage Photo Lab, a joint initiative by the Goethe-Institut and Institut Français Ghana, developed in the framework of the French-German Cultural Fund has donated digitization equipment to the J.H. Kwabena Nketia Archives at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana, Legon.

The installation of the photo digitization equipment forms a key part of the photographic heritage conservation project developed through the initiative. The equipment donated to the Nketia Archives consists of a digitization scanner for photos and negatives; as well as a computer, software, storage devices and accessories.

The mission of the Heritage Photo Lab project is to advocate for the preservation and sharing of Ghana's photographic heritage. Analogue photos, negatives and diapositives (slides) can all be digitized at the lab.

Nuku Studio the creators of Nuku Photo Festival; Ghana's first festival of photographic encounters; and the Nubuke Foundation, the visual art and cultural institution based in East Legon, Accra are project partners along with the J. H. Kwabena Nketia Archives.

The Heritage Photo Lab, beyond the physical workspace, is also a creative project that includes a curated exhibition and a symposium to exhibit and discuss its first collections - submitted by institutions and individuals - following a call for submissions earlier in March 2020. The photos, digitized by the Nketia Archives, are from Ghana's early post-independence era. They will be showcased to encourage the public to digitize its archives and take part in photo conservation.

Photographic archives document our history and our fragile heritage. Proper preservation is needed to inspire younger generations.

At the hand over, Prof. Dzodzi Tsikata, the Director of the Institute of African Studies and Judith Opoku-Boateng, the Head of the unit expressed their appreciation for the collaboration to further the work of the archive - one of the most important collections in the country.

After this project, the Nketia Archives will be able to welcome individuals and institutions who wish to have their photographs digitized.