# Memory of the World Register – Africa

The first inscriptions on the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register were announced in 1997. By creating a compendium of important library and archive holdings – including books, manuscripts, audio-visual materials, and digital documents – the program aims to use its networks of experts to exchange information and raise resources for the preservation, digitization, and dissemination of documentary materials. As of 2023, 494 pieces of documentary heritage have been included in the register. Of these, 35 are from Africa. They include recordings of folk music, ancient languages and phonetics; aged remnants of religious and secular manuscripts; collected lifetime works of renowned figures of literature, science, and music; copies of motion pictures and short films; and accounts documenting changes in the world’s political, economic and social stage.

## List by country/territory

* The Book of Healing from internal and external diseases affecting the body, a 17th-century magico-medical manuscript in Timbuktu, Mali
* Reminder to those who do not pay attention to the harms caused by the divergence between believers, an acrostic poem in Timbuktu, Mali
| Documentary heritage | Country/Territory | Custodian(s), Location(s) | Year inscribed |
| Christopher Okigbo Collection | Africa | Christopher Okigbo Foundation, Brussels 50°49′33″N 4°22′32″E﻿ / ﻿50.825953°N 4.375628°E﻿ / 50.825953; 4.375628﻿ (Christopher Okigbo Foundation) | 2007 |
| Al-Mustamlah Min Kitab Al-Takmila | Algeria | National Library of Algeria, Algiers 36°44′55″N 3°04′19″E﻿ / ﻿36.748481°N 3.071902°E﻿ / 36.748481; 3.071902﻿ (National Library of Algeria) | 2017 |
| First Summit Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement Archives | Algeria, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Serbia | Egyptian National Library and Archives, Cairo 30°03′59″N 31°13′39″E﻿ / ﻿30.066389°N 31.2275°E﻿ / 30.066389; 31.2275﻿ (Egyptian National Library and Archives) National Archives of India, Delhi 28°36′57″N 77°13′03″E﻿ / ﻿28.615781°N 77.217593°E﻿ / 28.615781; 77.217593﻿ (National Archives of India) National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia, South Jakarta 6°16′43″S 106°49′11″E﻿ / ﻿6.278618°S 106.819596°E﻿ / -6.278618; 106.819596﻿ (National Archives of Indonesia) Archives of Yugoslavia, Belgrade 44°47′21″N 20°26′31″E﻿ / ﻿44.789115°N 20.44197°E﻿ / 44.789115; 20.44197﻿ (Archives of Yugoslavia) National Archives of Algeria, Algiers 36°43′44″N 3°03′31″E﻿ / ﻿36.728778°N 3.058611°E﻿ / 36.728778; 3.058611﻿ (National Archives of Algeria) | 2023 |
| Arquivos dos Dembos / Ndembu Archives | Angola, Portugal | Arquivo Nacional de Angola, Luanda 8°49′04″S 13°13′52″E﻿ / ﻿8.817705°S 13.231108°E﻿ / -8.817705; 13.231108﻿ (Arquivo Nacional de Angola) | 2011 |
| Colonial archives | Benin | National Archives, Porto-Novo 6°30′39″N 2°36′25″E﻿ / ﻿6.510954°N 2.606833°E﻿ / 6.510954; 2.606833﻿ (National Archives, Porto-Novo) | 1997 |
| Memory of the Suez Canal | Egypt | Egyptian Embassy, Paris 48°52′04″N 2°17′46″E﻿ / ﻿48.867809°N 2.296108°E﻿ / 48.867809; 2.296108﻿ (Egyptian Embassy, Paris) | 1997 |
| Deeds of Sultans and Princes | Egypt | National Archives of Egypt, Cairo 30°04′02″N 31°13′38″E﻿ / ﻿30.067110°N 31.227230°E﻿ / 30.067110; 31.227230﻿ (Egyptian National Library and Archives) | 2005 |
| Persian Illustrated and Illuminated Manuscripts | Egypt | National Library and Archives of Egypt, Cairo 30°04′02″N 31°13′38″E﻿ / ﻿30.067110°N 31.227230°E﻿ / 30.067110; 31.227230﻿ (Egyptian National Library and Archives) | 2007 |
| National Library of Egypt's Collection of Mamluk Qur'an Manuscripts | Egypt | National Archives of Egypt, Cairo 30°04′02″N 31°13′38″E﻿ / ﻿30.067110°N 31.227230°E﻿ / 30.067110; 31.227230﻿ (Egyptian National Library and Archives) | 2013 |
| Treasures from National Archives and Library Organizations | Ethiopia | National Archives and Library, Addis Ababa 9°01′04″N 38°44′58″E﻿ / ﻿9.017869°N 38.749318°E﻿ / 9.017869; 38.749318﻿ (National Archives and Library of Ethiopia) | 1997 |
| Dutch West India Company (Westindische Compagnie) archives | Ghana, Netherlands, Brazil, Guyana, Netherlands Antilles, Suriname, United Kingdom, United States | National Archives of Ghana, Accra 5°33′40″N 0°12′29″W﻿ / ﻿5.561230°N 0.207952°W﻿ / 5.561230; -0.207952﻿ (National Archives of Ghana) | 2011 |
| Royal Archives (1824–1897) | Madagascar | Department of National Archives, Antananarivo 18°54′24″S 47°31′09″E﻿ / ﻿18.906557°S 47.519057°E﻿ / -18.906557; 47.519057﻿ (Department of National Archives, Antananarivo) | 2009 |
| Kitāb Shifā al-Asqām al-Āriḍat min al-Ẓahir wa al-Bāṭin min al-Ajsām/the Book of Healing from internal and external diseases affecting the body | Mali | Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library, Timbuktu 16°46′20″N 3°00′31″W﻿ / ﻿16.77227°N 3.00855°W﻿ / 16.77227; -3.00855﻿ (Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library) | 2017 |
| Tadkirat al gāfilin ‘anqubhihtilāf al- mu’minin/ Reminder to those who do not pay attention to the harms caused by the divergence between believers | Mali | Ahmed Baba Institute, Timbuktu 16°46′36″N 3°00′21″W﻿ / ﻿16.77663°N 3.00575°W﻿ / 16.77663; -3.00575﻿ (Ahmed Baba Institute) | 2017 |
| Maṣāliḥ al-Insān al-Mutaʿalliqat bi al-Adyānwa al-Abdān, The human being interests linked to the religions and the body | Mali, Nigeria | Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library, Timbuktu 16°46′20″N 3°00′31″W﻿ / ﻿16.77227°N 3.00855°W﻿ / 16.77227; -3.00855﻿ (Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library) | 2017 |
| Records of the French Occupation of Mauritius | Mauritius | Mauritius Archives, Port Louis 20°11′18″S 57°28′05″E﻿ / ﻿20.188388°S 57.468040°E﻿ / -20.188388; 57.468040﻿ (Mauritius Archives) | 1997 |
| The Records of Indentured Immigration | Mauritius | National Archives Department 20°11′18″S 57°27′57″E﻿ / ﻿20.1883723°S 57.465845°E﻿ / -20.1883723; 57.465845﻿ (National Archives Department) National Library 20°09′52″S 57°29′53″E﻿ / ﻿20.1644551°S 57.4981759°E﻿ / -20.1644551; 57.4981759﻿ (National Library) Mahatma Gandhi Institute 20°13′38″S 57°30′02″E﻿ / ﻿20.2271633°S 57.500497°E﻿ / -20.2271633; 57.500497﻿ (Mahatma Gandhi Institute) | 2015 |
| The Slave Trade and Slavery Records in Mauritius (1721-1892) | Mauritius | National Archives Department, Coromandel 20°11′16″S 57°27′57″E﻿ / ﻿20.1879°S 57.4659°E﻿ / -20.1879; 57.4659﻿ (National Archives Department) | 2023 |
| The archival collections on the Bienheureux Père Jacques Désiré Laval - The Apostle of Mauritius | Mauritius | National Archives Department, Coromandel 20°11′16″S 57°27′57″E﻿ / ﻿20.1879°S 57.4659°E﻿ / -20.1879; 57.4659﻿ (National Archives Department) National Library of Mauritius, Port Louis 20°09′52″S 57°30′03″E﻿ / ﻿20.164467°S 57.500869°E﻿ / -20.164467; 57.500869﻿ (National Library of Mauritius) Centre Père Laval, Sainte-Croix 20°08′53″S 57°31′47″E﻿ / ﻿20.14803°S 57.52966°E﻿ / -20.14803; 57.52966﻿ (Centre Père Laval) | 2023 |
| Kitab al-ibar, wa diwan al-mobtadae wa al-khabar | Morocco | Bibliothèque al-Quaraouiyyine, Fez 34°03′51″N 4°58′22″W﻿ / ﻿34.064143°N 4.972771°W﻿ / 34.064143; -4.972771﻿ (Bibliothèque al-Quaraouiyyine) | 2011 |
| Manuscript of al- Zahrāwīsur | Morocco | Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc, Rabat 34°00′30″N 6°50′34″W﻿ / ﻿34.008402°N 6.842639°W﻿ / 34.008402; -6.842639﻿ (Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc) | 2017 |
| Letter Journals of Hendrik Witbooi | Namibia | National Archives of Namibia, Windhoek 22°33′26″S 17°05′11″E﻿ / ﻿22.557201°S 17.086442°E﻿ / -22.557201; 17.086442﻿ (National Archives of Namibia) Personal Archives of Dr. Klaus Goebel [de], Munich 48°08′10″N 11°33′44″E﻿ / ﻿48.1360011°N 11.5623301°E﻿ / 48.1360011; 11.5623301﻿ (Personal Archives of Dr. Klaus Goebel) | 2005 |
| Fonds of the "Afrique occidentale française" (AOF) | Senegal | National Archives, Dakar 16°46′36″N 3°00′21″W﻿ / ﻿16.77663°N 3.00575°W﻿ / 16.77663; -3.00575﻿ (Ahmed Baba Institute) | 1997 |
| Collection of old postcards from French West Africa | Senegal | National Archives of Senegal, Dakar 16°46′36″N 3°00′21″W﻿ / ﻿16.77663°N 3.00575°W﻿ / 16.77663; -3.00575﻿ (Ahmed Baba Institute) | 2015 |
| William Ponty School Collection of Papers | Senegal | Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar 16°46′36″N 3°00′21″W﻿ / ﻿16.77663°N 3.00575°W﻿ / 16.77663; -3.00575﻿ (Ahmed Baba Institute) | 2015 |
| The Bleek collection | South Africa | University of Cape Town/South African Library, Cape Town 33°57′29″S 18°27′39″E﻿ / ﻿33.958056°S 18.460833°E﻿ / -33.958056; 18.460833﻿ (Ahmed Baba Institute) | 1997 |
| Archives of the Dutch East India Company | South Africa, Netherlands, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka | Cape Town Archives Repository (office of the National Archives of South Africa) 33°55′53″S 18°25′26″E﻿ / ﻿33.931495°S 18.423812°E﻿ / -33.931495; 18.423812﻿ (Cape Town Archives Repository) Tamil Nadu Archives 13°04′35″N 80°15′38″E﻿ / ﻿13.076368°N 80.260424°E﻿ / 13.076368; 80.260424﻿ (Tamil Nadu Archives) Department of National Archives of Sri Lanka 6°54′24″N 79°51′53″E﻿ / ﻿6.906759°N 79.864734°E﻿ / 6.906759; 79.864734﻿ (Department of National Archives of Sri Lanka) Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia (National Archives of Indonesia) 6°16′43″S 106°49′08″E﻿ / ﻿6.278623°S 106.818899°E﻿ / -6.278623; 106.818899﻿ (Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia) Nationaal Archief (National Archives of the Netherlands) 52°04′52″N 4°19′35″E﻿ / ﻿52.081037°N 4.3262802°E﻿ / 52.081037; 4.3262802﻿ (Nationaal Archief) | 2003 |
| Criminal Court Case No. 253/1963 (State Versus N. Mandela and Others) | South Africa | The National Archives and Records Service of South Africa, Pretoria 33°57′29″S 18°27′39″E﻿ / ﻿33.958070°S 18.460832°E﻿ / -33.958070; 18.460832﻿ (The National Archives and Records Service of South Africa) | 2007 |
| Liberation Struggle Living Archive Collection | South Africa | Doxa Productions, Hout Bay 34°01′00″S 18°23′21″E﻿ / ﻿34.016636°S 18.389210°E﻿ / -34.016636; 18.389210﻿ (Doxa Productions) | 2007 |
| Archives of the CODESA (Convention For A Democratic South Africa) 1991 - 1992 and Archives of the Multi-Party Negotiating Process 1993 | South Africa | National Archives and Records Service of South Africa, Pretoria 25°44′11″S 28°12′21″E﻿ / ﻿25.736375°S 28.205835°E﻿ / -25.736375; 28.205835﻿ (National Archives and Records Service of South Africa) | 2013 |
| German Records of the National Archives | Tanzania | National Archives, Dar es Salaam 6°48′35″S 39°17′08″E﻿ / ﻿6.809694°S 39.285492°E﻿ / -6.809694; 39.285492﻿ (National Archives, Dar es Salaam) | 1997 |
| Collection of Arabic Manuscripts and Books | Tanzania | Zanzibar National Archives, Zanzibar 6°10′35″S 39°12′06″E﻿ / ﻿6.1764393°S 39.2016237°E﻿ / -6.1764393; 39.2016237﻿ (Zanzibar National Archives) | 2003 |
| Privateering and the international relations of the Regency of Tunis in the 18th and 19th centuries | Tunisia | National Archives of Tunisia, Tunis 36°47′58″N 10°09′53″E﻿ / ﻿36.799444°N 10.164791°E﻿ / 36.799444; 10.164791﻿ (National Archives of Tunisia) | 2011 |
| The Abolition of Slavery in Tunisia 1841-1846 | Tunisia | National Archives of Tunisia, Tunis 36°47′58″N 10°09′53″E﻿ / ﻿36.799444°N 10.164791°E﻿ / 36.799444; 10.164791﻿ (National Archives of Tunisia) | 2017 |
| The Music holdings in Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger's archives (1910-1932) | Tunisia | Centre des Musiques Arabes et Méditerranéennes, Sidi Bou Saïd 36°52′01″N 10°20′44″E﻿ / ﻿36.866831°N 10.345667°E﻿ / 36.866831; 10.345667﻿ (Centre of Arab and Mediterranean Music) | 2023 |
| Nehanda and Kaguvi mediums’ judgement dockets (April 1897). Case between State versus Nehanda and Kaguvi spirit mediums leading to their execution. | Zimbabwe | National Archives of Zimbabwe, Harare 17°47′40″S 31°03′50″E﻿ / ﻿17.794351°S 31.063766°E﻿ / -17.794351; 31.063766﻿ (National Archives of Zimbabwe) | 2015 |