By: Toni Beaton (First-Year MI Student)

This year’s Dalhousie-Horrocks National Leadership Lecture, featuring Rita Tjien Fooh, was a great success. The lecture began with opening remarks and a thoughtful land acknowledgement by Mike Smit, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Management. Sandra Toze, Director of the School of Information Management, then provided background information on Dr. Norman Horrocks, the event’s namesake. Dr. Horrocks was a key part of the team as a strong advocate for SIM and the profession at large. The fund in his name supports this annual lecture and a scholarship (learn more about the fund here). SIM thanks the Horrocks family for their continued support.

Dr. Jamila Ghaddar, Assistant Professor with SIM, then introduced the keynote speaker, Rita Tjien Fooh.

Rita Tjien Fooh, Director of the National Archives Suriname, gave an engaging and thought-provoking lecture entitled “Perspectives from the global south (Suriname) on archival repatriation: Challenges and Opportunities.” Rita began with some background context on the country of Suriname, located on the northeast coast of South America. With an ethnically diverse population of approximately 600,000, the economy of Suriname thrives on exports, including oil, gold, and timber. The National Archives of Suriname (Nationaal Archief Suriname) was rebuilt after a fire in 1996; in 2010, the new archives building was inaugurated. It consists of paper, audiovisual, and digital records from 1669 to 2010. The Archives is responsible for implementing policies, the supervision of government records, transfers and acquisitions, arrangement and description, digitization, preservation and conservation, as well as providing access to the public through finding aids.

Between 1916 and 1977, the archives (under Dutch colonial occupation) were transferred to the National Archives of the Netherlands for ‘safekeeping’. This transfer occurred because the archives were scattered across multiple buildings in Suriname, as no official archives building existed at the time. However, as soon as the archives building was completed in 2010, Suriname expected all archival holdings be returned from the Netherlands. Rita took it upon herself as a personal and professional goal to repatriate the archives to Suriname. These archives were a critical part of Surinamese peoples’ history. Some key questions Rita raised were: Who are our heroes and heroines? How can we (re)construct our history if we do not know our past?

The Netherlands had no issue returning the archives to Suriname (as it was in the dated protocol from 1916), but the “when” and “how” was complicated. From 2008-2009, Suriname archivists began this discussion. In the end, it took seven years to complete the entire process of repatriation. There were moments of discomfort and silences, particularly due to the power imbalance between the Netherlands and Suriname – the timetable, preservation, and digitization of records yielded the most uncomfortable conversations. From 2010 to 2017, 800 meters shelf length of records were digitized and repatriated to Suriname.

Rita explained that colonial archives reflect the power dynamic between the oppressor and the oppressed and it is the stories of the oppressor that will be highlighted. Decolonization is the ‘undoing’ of these colonial actions to favour Suriname peoples’ own stories and identities. To engage in decolonization of archival documents, one must reconsider the history of the collection, reinterpret the content, revalue the records (particularly of those who have been excluded), and allow for equity in access.

There has been a strong movement toward decolonizing archival records within the last five years in Caribbean countries. Repatriation is of utmost importance to people who have been marginalized in history; in order to revalue their own history, direct access to heritage and records is crucial. The process of decolonization can begin after the repatriation of the archives. Community Archives is an excellent method to fill the gaps and silences in the history; researchers can also turn to community centres for information (which is happening in Suriname as well).

To those who virtually joined us on Monday, thank you for continuing to show your support for this annual event. Having expanded this event into the online forum, there are many possibilities to host worldwide guest lecturers. We look forward to the 2024 Dalhousie-Horrocks National Leadership Lecture!