Abu Dhabi: Thousands of protective boxes will soon be distributed across the UAE in a bid to encourage families to preserve documents, records and artifacts of historical and national interest.
The boxes, which are resistant to bacteria and humidity, are being handed out as part of the Watheq initiative of the UAE National Archives.
“We want to empower people to create their personal archives and safeguard documents that could provide valuable information about life within the UAE. We must also make these records accessible to all, and create a deep and accurate treasure trove of knowledge about Emirati and Gulf societies,” Dr Abdullah Al Rayes, director-general of the National Archives, said at a press conference in the capital.
“At this point, we also need to educate families on the value of maintaining archives so that they are not lost from one generation to the other. At present, the National Archives has been able to amass nearly five million official documents and records pertaining to the UAE’s history and the area’s pre-Federation days. But we have just a few thousand collected from families, and we want to increase this store before the memories vanish,” he told Gulf News.
The Watheq (the Arabic word for ‘documentation’) initiative has been launched under the guidance of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the National Archives.
The initiative’s official launch was December 22. Emirates Post, the UAE’s postal authority, will work with the archiving entity to facilitate the supply of boxes to families.
The campaign hopes to collect and conserve a range of documents, including official records, academic certificates, property and business deeds, manuscripts, newspapers, books, letters and family photos from both Emirati and expatriate families.
Boxes will be distributed in phases, with the first phase set to begin in January 2015. Families can collect the boxes from Emirates Post once they are notified through text message by the regional postal branch.
“Families can also scan copies of their records and bring them over to us on a flash drive so that we can store it for posterity on microfilm. In addition, we have the media and tools to access media stored on old storage devices, including video cassettes, floppy disks etc, and can help families retrieve their memories, as well as store them in our archives if the owner consents,” Dr Al Rayes said.
Some of the gathered records will be made available on the authority’s revamped webpage, following consent from the respective families.
The National Archives is also interested in purchasing old photographs and records of historical value from families. The value of any submitted records will be determined by a specialised committee.
Moreover, the authority can assist in storing documents and records on a confidential basis for families, Dr Al Rayes said. These will not be made available for public viewing.
