Welcome to the fifth edition of the Digital Picture Library Manager blog designed to add value to the management of your picture and media collections as well as to keep you up to date with developments at Africa Media Online and the world of digital imaging that could be of benefit you.
1. Early Early Bird Special on Digital Masterclasses
2. Rand Daily Mail Pictures Digitised in African Image Pipeline Project
3. Characteristics of the Information Society that will Impact the Future
4. African Authors have their say on Digital Colonialism
1. Early Early Bird Special on Digital Masterclasses
Africa Media Online is kicking off the 2008 masterclasses with an Early Early Bird Special. Following three years of highly successful masterclasses we are pleased to announce that we have held the course fees for 2007 and that we are offering a 10% Early Bird discount for delegates that pay for their places by 30th June. In addition, as a first week special, we are offering an Early Early Bird Special of 15% off for delegates that pay by close of business this Friday May 23.
Run each August in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, Africa Media Online will again be running the masterclasses, but this time in an expanded form known as the Digital Campus. The Digital Campus will be run in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg in conjunction with the Cape Town School of Photography and the Market Photo Workshop. This exciting initiative will bring together masterclasses run by UK-based digital imaging consultant Graeme Cookson with masterclasses run by Microsoft Icons of Imaging digital workflow specialist and author of The DAM Book, Peter Krogh. Peter’s masterclass is new for 2008 and, as with Graeme’s masterclasses, places are likely to be in high demand.
Click here for more information on the Digital Campus.
Click here to download a booking form.
Click here for quotes from participants
Contact Aneesa Ally regarding bookings or call Ian Blackburn on 033-345-9445.
2. Rand Daily Mail Pictures Digitised in African Image Pipeline Project
Famous for its anti-apartheid stance during the 1960s, 70s and 80s, the Rand Daily Mail became an icon among the liberal white press. Pictures from the Rand Daily Mail form part of a collection from Museum Africa in Johannesburg which is currently being digitised by Africa Media Online as part of its European Union funded African Image Pipeline project.
Sandra De Wet, Head of Information Services at Museum Africa, says of the Times Media Collection Ltd., “We acquired this collection in the 1970s, it contains photos from the 1930s to about 1985. These come from, for instance the old Rand Daily Mail, the Sunday Times and the Sunday Express – all no longer published.”
“The importance of the photos is that they covered the daily news. The pictures include major political events such as the 1956 treason trial, the Rivonia trial in the 1960s, the 1976 Soweto uprisings, the Verwoerd shooting etc.”
Much of the value of the collection lies in the documentation of daily life in Johannesburg and surrounds from the 1930s to the mid-1980s. These pictures will soon be available for publishing use from africanpictures.net.
The African Image Pipeline project is a wonderful opportunity to have the best of your picture collections digitised. Find out more about the project on theAfrica Media Online web site or call Sue Hadcroft on 033-345-9445 or email her.
3. The Ocean at Your Doorstep: Eight Characteristics of the Information Society that will Impact the Future
Speaking to the ISASA Librarians’ Conference at Hilton College, KZN, South Africa in early April, Africa Media Online’s Director, David Larsen outlined eight characteristics of the information society that will impact the future. The eight included: the democratization of technology, the rise of citizen media, the demise of the expert, information overload, the long tail, the erosion of privacy, media convergence, and the ascent of visual media. Download this and other presentations on the resources page
4. African Authors have their say on Digital Colonialism
The Luthuli Museum in KwaZulu Natal hosted five African writers during the 11th Time of the Writer Festival. The authors included current executive director of the Gorée Institute, Breyton Breytenbach (South Africa), Emmanuel Dongala (Congo-Brazaville), Director of the Centre for African Literary Studies, Mbulelo Mzamane (South Africa), Shailja Patel (Kenya) and Angelina Sithebe (South Africa). During the discussion time, sparked off by a question from Africa Media Online’s David Larsen, the writers expressed the frustration faced by authors who often have to travel outside of Africa in order to get published. Speaking about the neo-colonial infrastructure which continues to govern our lives Emmanuel Dongala spoke about how a telephone call from his home city Brazaville to the neighbouring city of Kinshasa which he can see across the river is routed via Europe, and the expense of travel between nations in Africa. Breyten Breytenbach pick up on the topic of digitial colonialism and the monopolies that certain nations are establishing over knowledge. Shailja Patel spoke about the need for Africans to start to value the films, books and media produced by Africans. Ordinary Africans can do a lot to change the situation.