Russian Federation transition

LIWOLET Newsletter
 From: New Liberation News Service <nlns>
 
 /* Written 5:52 pm May 27, 1993 by idslibrary@gn.apc.org in igc:link.library */
 /* ---------- "LIWOLET Newsletter" ---------- */
 
 
LIWOLET NEWSLETTER - South Africa Vol 4(1) January - March 1993
TRANSLIS
TransLis is the acronym for "Transforming our Library and
Information Services". In October 1992 representatives of seven
organisations were asked to consider a proposal to bring TransLis
into existence. But TransLis does not originate in some
immaculate conception. TransLis has its origins in the National
Education Policy Investigation (NEPI) Library and Information
Services Research Group. During 1992 this group conducted
research into the policy options for library and information
services (LIS) in a new South Africa. The research was published
and NEPI then wound up its affairs.
With the closure of NEPI some of the researchers were not content
to leave the policy options for the restructuring of South
Africa's libraries in the hands of future politicians and decision
makers. They grasped the opportunity to discuss the funding of an
initiative such as TransLis with the president of the
International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) when he
visited South Africa. Then, they quickly drafted a proposal for
consideration at the final NEPI meeting in october, 1992.
The African Librarians' Association of South Africa (ALASA), Inter
Resource Centre Forum, Library and Information Workers'
organisation (LIWO), Natal Resource Centre Forum, Read Education
Trust, South African Institute for Library and Information Science
(SAILIS), and the Transvaal Resource Centre Network have all been
invited to participate in TransLis. Other organisations may
decide to participate later. At a regional level, meetings are
now being convened across South Africa to give library and
information workers the opportunity to consider the proposal, to
decide what needs to still be researched and done in each region.
Several aims have been identified for TransLis, all to be
conducted on the basis of the principles of unity, democracy,
non)racism and redressing the past imbalances. TransLis is not a
continuation of NEPI. TransLis has its own aims which can be
summarised as follows: popularising research already conducted;
initiating and coordinating further research; formulating policy
options and lobbying for change; formulating regional library and
information services strategies and facilitating regional
networking. TransLis intends to be fairly exhaustive in
collecting LIS)related information about all regions in South
Africa.
TransLis would also like to address itself to affirmative action
and enable many more library and information workers to be
involved and participate in determining the direction of research,
not just in the major metropolitan centres, but in every corner of
South Africa. The strength of TransLis will be the inclusive
approach and cooperation between organisations which traditionally
have had little contact with each other and the strong regional
base of participation and decision)making.
There are still some issues which require clarity. The structure
and relationships for accountability and coordination will be
discussed at a national meeting in March. Funds must also be
raised for each region to undertake its research and embark on
activities relating to formulating policy and lobbying for change.
Nevertheless, it is hoped that the possibility to cooperate,
participate, contribute and have direct access to information,
research and decision)making within TransLis, will empower South
African librarians and information workers in an exciting way so
that their energies, resourcefulness and creativity will truly
make a difference in transforming our society.
	 by Jenni Karlsson
MAYIBUYE CENTRE FOR HISTORY AND CULTURE
Decades of vital history omitted from official records are being
restored in an ambitious project in the University of the Western
Cape's newly established Mayibuye Centre for History and Culture.
The centre, better known as the 'struggle museum' is attempting to
bring back history officially denied for decades.
The Centre is acquiring the entire photographic, film, video and
publications collection of the London based International Defence
and Aid Fund (IDAF). Leon Levson's vast collection of photographs
depicting life in South Africa in the 1940's has provided the
content of one of the centres' exhibitions and forms part of the
IDAF collection, so do those of Eli Weinberg, a listed communist
who spent much of his life under house arrest or in prison but who
recorded key events in the life of the African National Congress
before going into exile in 1976. The IDAF collection contains
some 100 000 films and videos and numerous books. The centre's
collection has been computer catalogued for quick and easy
retrieval.
Daily, and assortment of other material from a wide variety of
sources arrives at the Centre containing items such as the minutes
of the Robben Island Recreation Committee and a telegram from Mao
tse Tung sent to Bill Andrews, (acknowledged as grand old man of
the SA Communist Party) wishing him well on the occasion of a
birthday. Ahmed Kathrada's 8000 pages recording every letter he
wrote and received during 25 years in jail and the archives of the
SA Non)Racial Olympic Committee are also there.
The centre's task is enormous and its immediate priority is to
collate and document. The centre hopes to launch a history series
and with copyright to about 20 titles hopes to market reprints of
some of these titles. "The most important thing about this
archive, beyond the political importance, is to recover the
history of the ordinary person. Until a year or so ago, people
couldn't see or read any of this. A blank of 30 years needs to be
filled." (Dr Andre Odendaal, Centre Coordinator). To this end
the Centre will be engaging in a variety of projects involving
communities, institutions and organizations. It will also
approach government to arrange the retrieval of material
confiscated by the security police or used in evidence in trials.
(Taken from: Weekly Mail Feb 7 to 13, 1992).
-
CHANTELLE WYLEY IN RUSSIA
OCTOBER 1992
(Past Chairperson of Liwo(Natal) recently visited Russia)
It is impossible to convey a sense of Moscow and St. Petersburg in
a few lines: the numbers of people, the vastness, the greyness,
the bitter cold, snow, and what the society and surroundings mean
to anyone interested in history and politics, is quite
overwhelming... My overriding impression is that of a huge,
powerful and regimented empire, disintegrating before one's very
eyes. This is almost tangible, and is accompanied by uncertainty
as to what will emerge, what rules will govern society, where the
next meal will come from, how much it will cost, etc. No new
rules have as yet replaced the old, many of which have fallen
away. Into the void presented by this situation, have crept the
very worst features of American consumerism... Malboro and Camel
cigarettes, Pizza Hut, and a never ending fascination with
dollars! Inflation is rampant and the ruble)dollar rate continues
to rise. Russian salaries remain static and unemployment
increases. The Red Army can no longer be sustained, people are
deserting, and have no place to go/work. Academics are paid the
equivalent of about $20 per month. Food prices are rising rapidly
and with supply lines to sources of agricultural products (in the
Ukraine for example) increasingly tenuous, supplies are not
guaranteed either; shortages push up prices still more.
As the Soviet empire crashes, politics becomes very complicated.
Russians are extremely well informed. A very literate society,
everyone reads newspapers, and every political faction publishes
newspapers and broadsheets. Protests in the street invoke comment
and debate which result in heated interchanges. The interaction
between Communists picketing outside the Lenin Museum (Yeltsin is
trying to close the Museum) and the passersby was very
interesting. Yeltsin is universally disliked, and Gorbachev
blamed for starting the rot ) although many thank him for the
degree of political freedom, the freedom to talk to foreigners,
which did not prevail before.
Many people we spoke to hankered after the old days when there was
discipline and food, jobs and order, with everyone knowing their
place in society, and how far they could go to bend rules. Now
there are no rules and those used to regimented lives are at the
mercy of those who are redefining the rules according to a warped
vision of Western capitalist success! Old ladies in street
protests praise Stalin; fresh flowers still adorn monuments to
Lenin and the graves of the giants of Communist rule. The (male)
youth however are revelling in the delights of Western rock music,
long hair and operating in the black market to gain access to
dollars. Unheard of in the old days, pornographic literature is
common at the street newspaper/book stalls. Many return/turn to
religion, and evidence of the Russian Orthodox Church is
everywhere. As an alternative, American evangelists are in the
streets and Billy Graham in the Lenin Stadium!
Travelling about on the street and in the metro, one is presented
with ample evidence to back up Soviet claims about 100% literacy,
Everyone reads, in all places and at all times. In the metro
trains, about 60% of people in the carriage will read anything
from newspapers to thick hardback tomes. There are more
bookstalls in the streets than food stalls, and book shops are
crowded ) you have to fight to get to the counters. There are
libraries in every district; Moscow with about 13 million people
has over 4500 libraries! However, State subsidies to the
publishing industry have been halted, and it seems likely that the
high standard of publishing classics and works in other languages
will soon be a thing of the past. Classics of Soviet politics,
theory and literature in English are rare now, but bestsellers are
in in a big way ) James Handley Chase, Danielle Steele. There are
no copyright rules in Russia (this means havoc when it comes to
software, which is dirt cheap, but probably all pirated), although
there are plans to introduce legislation. Books are ridiculously
cheap, I bought Russian/English dictionaries for 300 rubles ($1),
a big colour picture book on Moscow cost 45000 rubles ($15).
Foreigners are in the strange situation of being virtually
illiterate in Russia, and I would recommend that anyone visiting
learn how to read the Russian script at least. A holiday there
demands more than the usual amount of preparation but is utterly
fascinating and enormously rewarding!
(Newsletter UND Libraries, No. 13, 1992)� 21 million library
project for under)privileged
The province is to build 36 new libraries in under)developed black
communities at a cost of R21 million.
This development, which will take four years, has been given
priority status by the Natal executive committee (Exco), MEC
Ismail Omar said yesterday.
The project has been given the go)ahead at the expense of the
Durban City Council's proposed R90 million library complex.
Durban had approached Exco for a subsidy of R10 million towards
the building costs of the new complex. Omar said the decision not
to approve a subsidy of R10 million to Durban was taken largely to
redress the shortage of library facilities in black communities.
"The primary role of the province is to provide as many libraries
as possible with the limited resources available to it, in order
to redress historical imbalances. "Our mission is to 'librarise'
Natal for all its inhabitants as soon as possible."
Of the 36 new libraries, three will be built in Edendale at a cost
of R5 million; one in Bruntville at a cost of R208 000 and one in
Sobantu at a cost of R568 000. Omar said the first Edendale
library will be built by the end of this financial year.
Omar said the libraries can be built on a self)help basis which
will drastically reduce costs and generate jobs in the community.
The province will not compromise on standards, he said, but
self)help schemes are a more cost)effective use of the money.
Neels Fourie, head of the provincial library services, said books
for the libraries will be chosen carefully to achieve a balance
between educational and recreational books.
"We have a very advanced policy in terms of selecting books for
underdeveloped areas, and our three black librarians have the
final say in book selection," Fourie said.
(By Yvonne Grimbeek in Natal Witness Tuesday 9th Feb. 1993.)�
LIWO ENTERS 1993 WITH NEW STRUCTURE
LIWO was formed in Natal July 1990 representatives from the
Transvaal and the Cape were present, but difficulties regarding
the logistics of consulting widely led to LIWO formally launching
itself in Natal only, and concentrating its activities in the
Natal area.
Our constitution provides for the formation of branches by ten or
more members in one geographic area, and late 1990 saw the launch
of a branch in Pietermaritzburg. In September 1991, after a
thorough consultative process, a Western cape LIWO was established
with its own constitution based on the original drawn up in Natal.
A meeting in Durban later 1991 elected a committee to work on a
branch in Durban. Throughout 1992, these various structures of
LIWO communicated informally, and co)operated on various projects.
It became evident however that in many cases outside organisations
and forums expected a united position from LIWO, on issues
relating to educational and cultural policy for example. It
became necessary to formalise and streamline the relationship
between the two, and also to set up structures to facilitate the
launch of other branches. At the same tine, the Natal Committee
of LIWO proposed that their branch devolve into two branches in
Durban and Pietermaritzburg in order to enable the organisation's
personpower to work more at grassroots level. This had worked
well in Pietermaritzburg for example, with the Sobantu community
library project.
Discussion around these issues led to the presentation of a
proposal to the AGM's of LIWO in Natal and the Cape. This
suggested that the organisation's activities should be
concentrated at local level, but that an administrative
coordinating mechanism should be set up to facilitate co)operation
and communication between branches. Portfolios were defined:
national co)ordinator to handle public relations and internal
matters, International co*ordinator to handle correspondence and
communication with overseas groups, treasurer to deal with common
finances, and secretary to deal with correspondence and membership
matters common to all, and Liwolet editor. These positions were
not intended to be representative, filled by elected officials:
they were designed in terms of the administrative work of the
organisation, and the most efficient and effective way of getting
things done. It was envisaged that consultation will take place
at branch level in response to requests for a position (which may
be communicated to the central officials), and this will then be
fed back to the relevant central official for co)ordination of the
response. Meetings will be kept to a minimum and communication
will take place via fax and phone. This proposal was accepted,
and a combined meeting of the Natal and Cape executive committees,
held during the LIWO Conference in Cape Town in September 1992,
appointed people who were willing and able to handle these
positions. They are:
Philip van Zijl Christopher Merrett Bill Bennett Cathy Stadler
FILM RESOURCE UNIT (FRU)
The main aim of the FRU is to provide film and video resources for
the purposes of education and training and cultural and
socio)economic transformation.
The mission of the FRU is to:
Build and maintain an archive of South African and African film
and video.
Foster the development of audiences for independently produced
film.
Train audiences in visual literacy and appreciation of cinema and
television.
Promote the use of film and video as an educational and
recreational medium.
Increase access of film resources to community groups.
FRU has over 700 titles in its PWV Resource Centre. Topics
covered by FRU include South African socio)economic development
issues, health , AIDS, land and shelter, culture, media, labour
etc. Members of FRU are entitled to loan videos, use the wide
selection of film reference books; use viewing facilities; loan AV
equipment and receive videos by post.
 
 For more information contact:
 
 Video Resource Centre Film Resource Unit P.O. Box 11065
 Johannesburg 2000
 
 Tel and Fax : (011) 29 6967.
 
 There is a membership fee.
 
 LITERACY MATTERS IN MARITZBURG.
 
 
 [Submitted by: unknown (gxlx26@vms1.glasgow.ac.uk)
 Mon, 30 Aug 93 11:59 GMT]
 
category:Dissolution of USSR