Seventy-eight years ago, the Tatar and Romani peoples traveled along the coast of southern Norway. Now, photographs from these boat journeys and student life in Trondheim are part of Norway’s documentary heritage.
In 2024, the Norwegian Committee for World Documentary Heritage has chosen to include seven new archives in Norway’s documentary heritage, part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World program. Documentary heritage aims to highlight and preserve important cultural heritage in the form of documents, archives, manuscripts, photos, films and sound.
The new entries were presented at a launch seminar in Trondheim on December 12. During the event, the selected archives also received a diploma as a formal recognition of their importance.
The archives that are included in 2024
The seven archives included in Norway’s document heritage in 2024 are as follows:
- The archive of Fotogjengen at Studentersamfunnet i Trondhjem (NTNU):
An extensive image archive with around 350,000 analog photographs documenting student activities and the youth environment over 70 years. - Group photo from the first Sami national meeting in Trondheim in 1917 (NTNU):
An iconic photograph that marks an important time in Sami and Norwegian history. - Magnus Lagabøtes Landslov of 1274 (NTNU):
One of Europe’s first nationwide laws, which regulated Norwegian society politically through legislation for over 400 years. - The Becker family archive (Telemark Museum):
Documents the history of a Jewish family, including their experiences during and after World War II. - Fotografier av de båtreisende på Sørlandet 1946-1948 (Aust-Agder Museum og Arkiv IKS):
A documentation of a culture and way of life belonging to the Romani/Tater people, which no longer exists. - Camilla shelter for abused and raped women (Oslo Kommune Kulturetaten):
Documentation from the Nordic region’s first shelter, established in 1978, which highlights violence against women as a historical social problem. - Nordnorsk folkemusikksamling og joikearkiv 1949-1972 (Arctic University Museum of Norway):
A unique collection with thousands of recordings of folk musicians and joikers from Northern Norway and Sápmi.
Focus on indigenous peoples, minorities and recent history
According to the committee, this year’s selection has had a particular focus on material that highlights marginalized groups and the history of indigenous peoples. Inga-Lill Sundset, Head of Section for Cultural Heritage and Museums at the Norwegian Directorate for Culture, says that documentation of such groups contributes to increased knowledge and insight into cultures that have partially disappeared. “As long as something is remembered, seen or heard, it never completely ceases to exist,” says Sundset.
In addition, the committee wanted to strengthen the representation of documents from the period after 1950. This includes topics such as freedom of expression, media diversity, recent immigration, as well as art, cultural expression and youth culture.
About Norway’s documentary heritage
Norway’s documentary heritage is the national part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World program and is administered by the Norwegian Committee for World Documentary Heritage. The committee consists of six external experts and is appointed by the Norwegian Directorate of Culture in consultation with the Norwegian UNESCO Commission. The Norwegian Directorate for Culture acts as the secretariat for the committee’s work. The program aims to highlight and preserve cultural heritage that is considered important to the nation’s collective memory.
