One year of ‘Sprekende geschiedenis’, key highlights and look ahead to 2023!

‘Sprekende geschiedenis’ is now one year underway. December is a good time to reflect on this. In conversation with initiator Saskia Moerbeek, we share the main highlights and look ahead to 2023.

Kick – off at Sound and Vision in Hilversum

On 28 January 2022, the Kick-off meeting of the Oral History Hub ‘Sprekende geschiedenis’ took place at Sound and Vision in Hilversum. The aim was to mark the launch of the Junction and announce the programme. “We interacted with the oral history community to hear what kind of expectations they have from the Hub.  What stood out was the enthusiasm of the Round Table participants to make oral history more accessible, but also the effort needed to get the content and technical sides of oral history right”.

_{Kick-off meeting of the Hub at Sound and Vision Hilversum}

We notice that our brokerage role is appreciated

What are the highlights of the past year?

“Surely the highlight was the symposium on 28 October. A sold-out symposium was confirmation for us that there is a lot of enthusiasm and interest in oral history and the topics on the programme. We were told by many visitors that they were really inspired by the stories of Annegriet Wietsma and Halima Özen El Hajoui and the exchange in the workshops. The responses show that interest in oral history is really growing. We also notice that our brokerage role is appreciated. Various organisations and initiatives increasingly know how to find us”. 

_{Symposium ‘Oral History voor iedereen’ at Sound and Vision The Hague. Watch the aftermovie here.}  

“On 28 October, the mini exhibition on freedom was also opened at Sound and Vision in The Hague, which young people aged between 17 and 24 worked on together with refugees. A great example of using oral history and source material to shine new light on a theme or to use as a trigger for a topical issue”.

Oral history not only gives meaning to heritage, it is, if performed methodically well, in itself also heritage

_{Expo on freedom by young people and refugees from The Hague} 

“We also welcome the relentless effort of all kinds of people to contribute existing interview collections and ongoing projects for the ‘Speaking History’ website. We work hard on this every day and the collection overview continues to grow. And finally, I would like to mention the inclusion of oral history in the implementation agenda of the Faro Convention. This is important because oral history not only gives meaning to heritage. It is, if done methodically well, in itself also heritage”. 

In 2023, we will organise a series of expert meetings with and for archives, museums and heritage organisations.

What does 2023 look like for the Hub?

“In 2023, we are going to organise a series of expert meetings from the Hub with archives, museums and heritage organisations that work a lot with volunteers. These will include the development of standards for preserving, accessing and presenting oral history material and on how to involve volunteers and best appreciate their efforts. We will also work on further increasing the visibility and reach of the ‘Sprekende geschiedenis’ website”.

_{Photos by Kim Verkade}