A Missed Opportunity: Archival Institutions and Public Sector Reforms

Abstract

This article takes a critical view of archivists in the region, their
conservative interpretation of their mandate, the outdated legislations
under which they still operate and their failure to make themselves
relevant within the context of the public sector reforms that have been
going on for almost two decades. The article tries to demonstrate that
most of the archival institutions have sidelined themselves in the
reform process and to some extent have become irrelevant in the
ongoing reforms. The article reviews the general response of national
archival institutions in Eastern and Southern Africa to the opportunity
offered by the public service reforms to integrate records management
into the reforms and thus lift its profile and relevance to national
development. The article recognizes that there are indeed some
countries in the region that have been able to raise the profile of their
institutions and to become relevant to the development of their
nations (notably South Africa), but that such countries are the real
exception rather than the rule