We think of our collection as an ecosystem of things and ideas continuously built upon through further research, varied perspectives, and timely interpretations. And we are particularly interested in research that develops these relationships, even if (or particularly when) they help to build connections and networks beyond our collection—connections that are of course made easier by digitization.

Based on the experience developed through the Find and Tell program and complementing its results, we are launching a pilot project to provide assistance in the digitization of significant archival resources across national, regional, and urban boundaries, and to facilitate access to these resources for future research.

The first step of this pilot project is a collaboration with the custodians of the papers of the Sudanese architect Abdel-Moneim Mustafa (1930) to examine his significant interventions in Khartoum and surroundings, and his role in the architecture of nation building in Sudan.

Digital tools provide the opportunity to consider different positions of the institution vis-à-vis modes of collecting, of providing access to archival resources, and of supporting research. We hope that this project serves as a model for a more collaborative approach to transnational archival work both within our own programs and beyond.

Abdel Moneim Mustafa’s work on Wikimedia Commons

Michael Olutusen Onafowokan’s work on Wikimedia Commons

This project was conceived in conversation with Esra Akcan, and developed together with and thanks to the generous dedication of Migdad Bannaga and Dina Yousif in Khartoum. Digitization and photography are produced by the Technocon Engeneering Consultancies archive in Sudan with the support of the CCA.