By Senzo Mkhize
Historical
background
The University of KwaZulu-Natal
(UKZN) has a rich and evolving heritage, tracing its origins back to the early
20th century when the foundations of universities in South Africa were first
established. The roots of UKZN lie in the Natal University College, founded in
1909, which became the University of Natal in 1949. This institution served as
the foundation of what is now the University of KwaZulu-Natal, making UKZN the
product of more than a century of educational history in the region.
In 2004, UKZN was formed
through the merger of the University of Durban-Westville and the University of
Natal. The University of Durban-Westville, established during the apartheid
era, was designed to provide higher education to the Indian community, while
the University of Natal predominantly catered to the white population. This
division of educational services was part of the broader system of racial
segregation that characterized apartheid South Africa.
With the advent of democracy in
1994 and the subsequent abolition of apartheid, the South African government
undertook significant reforms to create a more inclusive and non-racial
society. One of the major steps in this process was the merger of the
University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville in 2004, reflecting
the government’s commitment to dismantling the remnants of apartheid. This
merger brought together students and staff from diverse racial and cultural
backgrounds, marking the creation of a truly non-racial institution that is
committed to promoting equality, diversity, and social justice in higher
education.
Today, UKZN stands as a symbol
of transformation in South African higher education. It continues to build on
its legacy of academic excellence, cultural diversity, and social
responsibility, offering world-class education and engaging in cutting-edge
research that addresses both local and global challenges.
After the merger, all libraries and special collections of
these two institutions were integrated under one management to form the
University of KwaZulu-Natal Libraries and Special Collections. The university
has four Special Collections, the Killie Campbell Africana Library in Musgrave,
the Gandhi-Luthuli Documentation Centre in Westville, the Centre for Africa
Literary Studies and the Alan Paton Centre and the Struggle Archives in
Pietermaritzburg. There are other special collections like the Howard College
Special Collection, Herbarium Collection at Life Sciences and the University
Archives in Pietermaritzburg. Proposal has been made to form the South African
Music Archives as an additional special collection.
These Special Collections have
diverse collections of rare books,
manuscripts, photographs, archives, artefacts, ephemera, and digital
records which are considered unique, valuable, and fragile, offering a
wide range of primary source materials for research across various subjects
like history, anthropology, politics, music, religion, literature, and
culture; often reflecting diverse perspectives and experiences depending
on the collection's focus. The collections are well preserved and
conserved for the future generations. All materials have been processed and are
discoverable in the University of KwaZulu-Natal Library Website through
browsing each special collections’ website.
The
Gandhi-Luthuli Documentation Centre
is a distinguished cultural and historical institution dedicated to preserving
and showcasing the diverse and multifaceted heritage of South Africa. Situated
in the heart of KwaZulu-Natal, this museum and library play a vital role in
commemorating the contributions and experiences of South Africa’s Indian
community, with a special focus on the province of KwaZulu-Natal, which has
played a significant part in the history of Indian migration to South Africa.
The Centre holds an invaluable
collection of books, manuscripts, photographs, and museum artefacts that span
across significant historical periods, particularly the colonial and apartheid
eras. These collections were carefully curated and amassed by a variety of
collectors, donors, and activists, including many notable figures within the
Indian community, throughout the 20th century. Among the most treasured items
in the Centre’s collection are the ship lists of the indentured laborers who
were brought from India to South Africa in 1860 to work on the sugar
plantations. This document remains a key historical record of the origins and
early lives of many families who contributed to the shaping of South Africa’s
socio-economic landscape.
The
Alan Paton Centre and the Struggle Archives was named after a
renowned author of “Cry, the beloved country” and anti-Apartheid activist, Mr
Alan Paton. Alan Paton was a leader of the Liberal Party of South Africa, which
was active from 1953 to 1968. The material comprises the original manuscripts
of Mr Alan Paton and individual donors and organisation which were involved in
the struggle against Apartheid in the Natal Midlands from 1948 to 1990. The
collection was donated to the then University of Natal by Alan Paton’s wife,
Mrs Anne Paton. In addition to these collections there is a huge collection of books
donate to the centre by the Natal Society Foundation. The Centre for African Literary Studies
Collection was
established to house all publications on African literature. The idea was to
support the University of KwaZulu-Natal’ vison to be “the Premier University of
African Scholarship” and the “University of Choice” in African Studies. Some
prominent publications focused on African literature includes Journal of
African Studies, Research in African literatures, Journal of African Cultural
Studies and The African Writers. Other special collections of interest include
a huge collection of books published by African writers, this includes
literatures from other countries of Africa. The collection was donated by
former University of KwaZulu-Natal academic, Professor Bernth Lindfors.
Lindfors is based in the United State of America. This collection has been
conscientiously developed over the decades since then to include all African
topics which may be of interest to researchers.
The
Killie Campbell Africana Library well known as the Killie
Campbell Collections was established by the Campbell family in 1914. The
Campbell family was one of the British settlers who came to South Africa in
1850 through Joseph Byrne Immigration Scheme. The original house of the family
was at Umdloti near uMhlanga Rocks then they moved to Durban Musgrave area
where they build their house called “ Mucleneuk”. The house
laid the foundation for the present-day Mashu Museum of Ethnology, Killie
Campbell Africana library, the William Campbell Furniture & Picture
Collection and the Jo Thorpe Collection. The library and museum comprise a rich
variety of rare Africana books, manuscripts, artworks, and museum artefacts,
mostly related to southern Africa, particularly the eastern region. The
materials were collected by Dr Killie Campbell and her brother William WAC
Campbell. The collections were bequeathed to the then University of Natal in
1965 after the death of Killie Campbell and her bother William Campbell.
Some of the most notable collections donated to the Killie
Campbell Africana Library are: The James Stuart manuscripts includes a large
collection of notebooks reflecting the work done by James Stuart in recording
the oral history of the Zulu people in KwaZulu-Natal and the neighbouring
tribes. There are now 6 volumes of James Stuart Archives written by former UKZN
history lecturer, Professor John wright. Professor Wright consulted the
original manuscripts when he wrote his volumes. The E.G. Malherbe collections
which was donated to KCAL by Professor Malherbe who was a former
Principal of the University of Natal. The importance of these collections is
measured by the high number of users who visit the library to use them. In
addition, the new collections added to the museum are African Masks collection
and the Human Right paintings.
Preservation
and conservation of the collections
All Special Collections of the University of KwaZulu-Natal
continues to collect, arranges, preserve, conserve, and make available records
of enduring historic value that support the information needs of the University
of KwaZulu-Natal’s faculty, students, academics and the general public.
Currently, the Special Collections has embarked on a massive digitisation of
rare Africana collections, this includes the photographs and the manuscripts.
Materials are digitized on DISA website for preservation and access
The
digitization project is not only focused on scanning materials but also on
developing a user-friendly online platform that will serve as a comprehensive
resource for researchers, students, and the general public. By using advanced
technologies, the Special Collections aims to make its collections more
discoverable and accessible at any time and from anywhere in the world. This
also includes plans for interactive digital exhibits and virtual tours that
will further enhance the public’s experience and engagement with the Special
Collections.
Marketing
our Special Collections
·
Online
marketing; we are focusing on highlighting the uniqueness value of our
collections by digitising and making our collections easily accessible through
individual special collections’ websites and DISA website. Adverting our events online and conduct online
annual lectures and other events. We also promote online exhibitions to
showcase our special collections.
·
Collaborating
with different institutions and organisations, history societies to use our
special collections to do their events and to promote our special collections
to their clients.
·
Partner with schools to offer tours and
presentations to students on using special collections for their researches.
·
Outreach to promote our special collections; partners with local
museums, libraries and other heritage institutions to promote our
collections-through attending their events or assisting in training their
staff.
· Host both online and in-person events to promote our special
collections, e.g. annual lectures, book launches, meetings, film shootings etc.
Challenges
Preserving
UKZN Special Collections faces numerous challenges, including climate
change, lack of proper equipment for digitisation, insufficient funding, lack
of space, pest and mold infestation, lack of air-conditioners, shortage of
staff, obsolescence of technology, all of which can lead to the loss or
permanent damage to our unique and valuable collections.
However, the UKZN Library management is doing all it can to
save these treasures of our university and KZN in particular. Attempts are
being made to expand the centres and to replace outdated equipment, hire
contract staff to assist with preservation and conservation and speed up the
digitisation of fragile collections.
References
Alan Paton Centre & Struggle Archives’ pamphlet
Buthelezi, V. Dr Killie Campbell1 and her collections: Challenging the
colonial notions of museums displays and representation. Unpublished paper,
Campbell Collections.
Buthelezi, V; Cele, M and Krige, E Treasures of the South: The history
and holdings of Campbell Collections. Seminar, June 1, 2011, available at https://phambo.wiser.org.za/seminars/buthelezi/2011.html
Gandhi Luthuli& Documentation Centre’ pamphlet
Centre for African Literary Studies’ pamphlet
Herd, N Killie’s Africa: The Achievement of Dr Killie Campbell. Pietermaritzburg:
Blue Crane, 1982.
Killie Campbell Manuscripts
KwaZulu-Natal Archives and Records Services preservation and
conservation pamphlet
Muir,
S, Killie Campbell Africana Library, William Campbell Museum and Mushu Museum.
The
Special Collections of the University of KwaZulu Natal’ pamphlet
