Traversing the intersection: Legislative frameworks and initiatives for archival access in East and Southern Africa

Abstract

Archival legislation provides a framework for how national archives should function in different countries. Being crucial archival legislation should therefore clearly underscore how to access the holdings and all other restrictions linked to accessing specific holdings. Since outreach, advocacy, and public programming initiatives facilitate access, archival legislation should provide legal grounds to ensure the planning and implementation of such programmes. Recent literature indicates that there is the limited use of archives by communities in East and Southern Africa, proving that archival public programming, outreach and advocacy efforts in the region still leaves much to be desired in addressing this challenge. Extant literature on facilitating access to archives in this region does not mention much about the role of legislation and policies in strengthening these initiatives. A qualitative content analysis of different archival legislations from selected countries in East and Southern Africa and related literature helped to determine existing provisions for the promotion of access and the use of archives. The findings revealed that outdated legislation and a dearth of policies exist in most countries in this region. Recommendations include reviewing laws, formulating access policies, and leveraging advocacy efforts to the advantage of public archival repositories.