London, 27 October 2022 (TDI): World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is celebrated on 27 October every year across the globe. This day is about seeking to raise awareness about the need to preserve important audiovisual material for future generations.
Theme of 2022
This year the celebrations of World Day for Audiovisual Heritage will take place from 27 October to 5 November 2022. The theme for this day in 2022 is “Enlisting documentary heritage to promote inclusive, just, and peaceful societies”.
Significance of Audiovisual Heritage
Audiovisual heritage refers to documents like film, sounds, radio, and television programs. It further includes other audio and video that are of socio-cultural importance and need preservation for posterity.
In addition, such audiovisual documentations are significant as they help us to understand and observe the past and protect our memories and culture.
Such heritage is considered as priceless as it is an affirmation of our collective memory and a valuable source of knowledge.
Also read: UNESCO commemorates Access to Information Day 2022
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) preserves and safeguards these documents. UNESCO considers it essential to hand over these valuable documents to future generations.
Moreover, World Day for Audiovisual Heritage celebrates those who do dedicate their energy to archiving and protecting our heritage. This day honors many caretakers, including librarians and archivists, who work hard to preserve our audiovisual heritage.
In addition, keeping this goal envisioned UNESCO has launched the project “Digitizing our shared UNESCO history” for conserving this heritage.
Historical background
In the 21st General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on October 27, 1980, the Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images was adopted.
This adoption occurred as a result of the efforts of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) since the late 1970s.
The 33rd session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 2005 designated October 27 as World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.
