IASA 2018 Annual Conference

The paper seeks to present the pathetic perception about the existence of valuable sound and audiovisual archival resources in many research institutions in select West African countries such as Nigeria. The research identifies that preservation and conservation of archival sources is unwittingly biased against unorthodox materials due to low competence to deal with systemic ways these rare kinds of materials are managed. Until collection and retention policies of most African archives are diversified from the customary ways, communities and nations will continue to lose their Archival wealth without knowing. A case of recent obliteration of valuable past BBC TV and radio records due to lack of understanding of these categories of materials calls for deep advocacy by professional networks about the fundamental nature of sound and audio-visual archives. The paper describes the strategies being developed by the famous Arewa House, Centre for Historical Documentation and Research of the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in Kaduna, Nigeria to develop a programme for the training of archivists to appreciate character of sound and audio visual materials, methods of preservation and conservation as well as creating accessibility to public users as valuable source of information about the past.