KwaZulu-Natal Archives: Oral History Unit 

View our full interviews at: www.kznarchives.gov.za

The KwaZulu-Natal Archives Oral History Unit was established in 2012 and is the first fully-fledged Oral History unit that was set up in South Africa to preserve the province's oral legacy. Its collections include “workers history, family history, women history, indigenous knowledge system (IKS), heritage and culture, amakhosi (chiefs and traditional leaders), struggle veterans, domestic workers, sports, uMkhonto Wesizwa Veterans Association (MKVA) and Azanian People’s Liberation Army (APLA), religion and culture, family trees, artists (performing and non-performing) including musicians, writers, visual artists and poets”.  The preservation of oral history records is important because it safeguards information that often stems from an individual’s personal memory relating to their observation of, or actual participation in, past events. Oral history enhances the understanding of the past for both present and future generations.