On Sunday, 18 April a fire erupted on the slopes of the mountain above Philip Kgosana Drive in Cape Town and set ablaze, among other buildings, the UCT Jagger library. In a statement to the public, the UCT Executive Director of the libraries, Ujala Satgoo, stated that the Reading Room had been destroyed and valuable collections inside have also been lost. The statement was directed to colleagues, staff, students and friends of UCT libraries and it ended with the message, “Although this loss will be felt deeply, we will weather this storm and rise from the ashes.” Part of the valuable collections that have been lost from the library include the African Studies Book Collection, and I find myself particularly filled with sorrow and sadness about this; I’m heartbroken by the loss of archives I didn’t even know existed 72 hours prior. It is never good news to hear that work and writing have been destroyed, particularly work that plays an important part in preserving the memory of a historically charged country like South Africa. Stories and ideas have been lost and as a writer of the historical novel, The Broken River Tent, Mputhumi Ntabeni states:
Most of the people who frequent libraries, especially those with special collections material, tend to end up with some form of special relationship to them. Those of us who delve into historical researches often read about library material lost through fire, but is always from a distant past, never this close to our own living experience; As someone who is invested in the process of historical knowledge assessment I feel a great loss when a piece of historical material is lost.
When Ntabeni began the task of researching and writing his novel, a “narrative of the historical events of the 18th and 19th century through the perspective of the Xhosa leader, nkosi Maqoma ka Ngqika”, he was able to form a valuable story from Xhosa oral history and some of the material obtained at the UCT African Studies (Special Collection) section. This is material that, now, might never be recovered. The African Studies Collection is home to various works from across Africa. It consists of work dating back to the 1500s, presented in multiple languages. The collection was recorded to have had 65 000 volumes, 26 000 pamphlets, 3 000 films and 20 000 other items in the audio-visual medium. UCT scholar and anthropologist, Shannon Morreira, points out, “Having access to this archive allowed for reflection on what histories and kinds of knowledge were valued in the past and what was left out; Archives matter to decolonising higher education because of the histories they afford us to embrace.” Decolonisation is broadly described as the undoing of colonialism and the concept speaks to the (re)valuing of different kinds of knowledge, particularly indigenous knowledge, through a process of learning and unlearning. “The archive gave us access to knowledge that had been historically undervalued”, Morreira states.
As we reflect on what has occurred at UCT, it is time we start thinking about expanding the spaces and places we wish to house our precious materials and who, in turn, gets access to them whilst they are here. What is decolonisation if not the sharing and active inclusion of one another within the sphere of learning? As Morreira concludes, “A broad project of decolonisation accepts that the current status quo is not sustainable and we need new (or old) knowledge to be brought into play.” As someone who considers themselves a friend of the library, I grieve with those who saw the archives, I grieve with those who touched the archives, I grieve with those who experienced the archives, and I grieve with those who will not be aware of their existence for decades to come.
To support the #UCTFire emergency relief find please click here.
*Since this article was published UCT has since released an official statement in recognition of the loss of the Jagger Library Reading Room which can be read here.
