Uncategorized – Page 65

Remembering Christchurch

In the words of Reg Miller “people count more than buildings, bricks and mortar”; this insight is indicative of the wealth of social history captured in the Ministry for Culture and Heritage’s new book Remembering Christchurch – Voices from Decades Past.

“Reg Miller is one of the 19 people interviewed for the book whose memories and personal stories bring to life the rich human history of Christchurch,” says Ministry for Culture and Heritage Chief Historian Neill Atkinson.

“Written by the Ministry’s Senior Oral Historian Alison Parr, the book presents the precious memories of people from all walks of life, born in the 1920s through to the 1940s. This is an insightful portrait of the city, its urban landscape and its people prior to the Canterbury earthquakes,” he says. For full story click here.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings

One of the most intriguing and important stories surrounding the 70th anniversaries of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings connects to oral history. Japanese culture has long been divided between its oral culture and its written culture, though both have remained vibrant. Not only are different language forms used in both, but also different ways of feeling and thinking are encoded differently into spoken or written language. For full story click here.

Hurricane Katrina Oral Histories

Listen to a number of oral history recordings done for the 10th anniversary of this disaster here as well as other projects.

The Cold War in Alaska

The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was a significant part of 20^th century history that had worldwide repercussions. This project includes the personal stories of veterans who worked at Nike Missile Sites in Alaska, along with others talking about Alaska's role in the Cold War in general. Click on a person's name, then on the interview to listen to the interview and follow the transcript, as well as a summary. The website is here.

American Voting Rights Act

"Here and Now" is marking the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act by listening to some of the voices of the time, especially President Lyndon Johnson, who made civil rights a priority of his administration, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Listen to the story here.

StoryCorps ‘Great Thanksgiving Listen’

Teachers and high school students across the country are invited to use the StoryCorps app to preserve the voices and stories of an entire generation of Americans over a single holiday weekend. To listen to this story click here.

Lithgow’s Industrial Past

An oral historian is bringing to light a period in Lithgow's industrial history he describes as a 'pretty horrible time' but one which gave birth to a collection of colourful song, poems and stories. For full story click here.

Cambodians Learn Oral History

A group of young Cambodians spent this week in workshops learning about interviewing, ethics and the value of historical research. Now they’ve got a daunting task ahead of them: to interview those closest to them, on camera, about their experiences during the Khmer Rouge. For full story click here.

StoryCorps to enhance their app.

StoryCorps the non-profit oral history project that has collected more than 100,000 interviews since 2003, is planning to improve its app and launch community programs after receiving a $600,000 grant from the Knight Foundation. For full story click here.

Samoan Police Band

Cross platform, collaborative, multi-disciplinary, regional, and embedded with storytelling and cross-cultural connection – this project certainly ticks all the boxes of what is hot now across numerous art sectors. And, yet, this project is far from “fashionable” – at its centre is a police band and a very un-sexy history of German colonisation. For full story click here.