South Africa’s Department of Communications (DoC) has partnered with the Department of Military Veterans to record, profile and digitise information on the country’s military history for viewing on smartphones, tablets, PCs and television.
Minister of communications Yunus Carrim launched the ‘Digitisation of the Military Veterans Heritage’ programme over the weekend, saying the government is looking to build ICT capacity and skills.
“The Military Digitisation Programme focuses on military veterans from both the non-statutory and statutory forces,” he said. “The objective of the programme is to further promote a reconciliatory ethos amongst all the military veterans on both sides of the struggle by recording, profiling and digitising the history and experiences of those who are lesser profiled.”
The initiative has three goals – to promote the stories of the veterans, build ICT capacity and skills, and package the content for commercialisation.
Content will include interviews, registration of military veterans, a portal and an interactive website. A database of bio-data and information relevant to the production of documentaries on armed struggle in South Africa has been developed, with more than 1,000 names of military veterans uploaded so far.
Approximately 200 video interviews have been recorded, while there is an interactive website created on military veterans with some content available for the public to view. The website allows military veterans anywhere in the world to register onto the system.
Carrim said the department is also considering an electronic list of all the countries that accommodated military veterans, the activities in those countries and families that remain there.
“There is a sense in which by military veterans telling your stories, it can also help in your psychological healing,” Carrim said.
The department has also launched a training programme to provide military veterans with media skills, with 30 already having been trained.
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