Latin America and the Caribbean are currently represented in the MoW Register by 14 countries and 24 nominations have been approved for inclusion on the International Register.
The Region Latin America and the Caribbean, like Asia and the Pacific, covers a large area which is dominated by the sea. UNESCO member states in the region range from large countries such as Brazil (8,511,965 sq. km.) which are well-endowed with natural resources and a well diversified economy to the island state of St. Kitts/Nevis (261 sq. km.) which until recently was a monoculture agricultural state with limited natural resources. In addition to large well populated continental nations and island states there are a number of uninhabited cays, bracs and islets across the length and breadth of the region. In addition to size, there is considerable diversity in other geographic respects active terrestrial and submarine geomorphological features; continental, isthmus and island states; massive mountains to below sea level sites; and, multiple climatic ranges are evident throughout the region.
Stamps commemorating Derek Walcott, Nobel Prize Winner and MoW Inscriptee
A history of colonialism is the major contributing factor to the region's rich culture and linguistic variety as well as its social, political and economic practices. During colonialism, every major European colonial power and even lesser ones such as Latvia has had a presence, at some time, in the region. A dominating feature of the region is the tyranny of distance and its associated challenges to get to Brazil from the Caribbean requires two flights, one of which is done overnight and transits through Miami which, in a post 9/11 world, has attached to it a number of inconveniences not the least of which is the challenge of obtaining a visa! National development runs the gamut of possibilities and so do the possession of natural resources, technological advancement, economic pursuits and political realities. Thus, like Asia and Pacific, while the region is often viewed as a single entity, Latin America and the Caribbean is a place of contrasts, differences and diversities. MOWLAC - Regional level The Memory of the World programme became operational in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2000 when, at a meeting of experts in Pachuca, Mexico, a regional committee was established. In 2007, the acronym for the committee was changed to MOWLAC. Previously it had used CRLAC as its acronym.
The UNESCO member states in Latin America and the Caribbean are: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts/Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela. States in the region having associated membership status with UNESCO are: Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and the Netherlands Antilles. Four of UNESCO's six associate members are in Latin America and the Caribbean. Under the rules of UNESCO any member state can participate in MOW activities. However, while there are no bars to eligibility, not all member states are active in MOW and of those that are their level of activity and involvement varies. MOWLAC has met regularly since its establishment. Recent annual meetings were held in Brazil, Barbados and Columbia. Every effort is made to rotate meetings around the region. The committee is currently serviced by a UNESCO officer based in the cluster office in Kingston, Jamaica.
The principal responsibilities of MOWLAC are to further the programme in the region, to encourage the development of national committees, to develop regional projects, to encourage the development of a regional and national registers, and to encourage member states to submit collections for inscription to the international register. The committee is also charged with managing any funds that are allocated to the programme in the region. While not implicitly stated, the organisation of appropriate training programmes, where feasible, is also a responsibility. Appointment to the committee of nine is based on recommendations received from the member states and members of the committee. Each member sits for a non-renewable four year term. Appointment to the committee is done on a cyclical basis so that there is continuity and the corporate memory of the committee protected. MOWLAC National Level To date, 18 national committee have been establish in the region.
Countries having national committees are: Argentina; Barbados; Bolivia; Brazil; Chile; Columbia; Costa Rica; Cuba; Ecuador; El Salvador; Guatemala; Honduras; Mexico; Nicaragua; Paraguay; St. Lucia; Uruguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Venezuela. While many countries have national committees, many of them need to be re-energized so that they become effective organs for the MoW programme. From this list it is also clear that not all member states in Latin America and the Caribbean have established National Committees. MOWLAC on the International Register Thirteen Latin America and the Caribbean countries are represented on the international register by 24 nominations of which 1 is a joint nomination shared by 4 countries. The inscriptions from this region are representative of the range of documentary heritage that is the concern of this programme. The scope of successful LAC nominations to the register covers archives, a film, a library, manuscripts, musical recordings, personal papers and photographs. Most of the LAC inscriptions are from continental Latin America (11 countries). Two Anglophonic island states have nominations on the register.
Of the 24 regional entries on the register, 4 were inscribed in 2007. The new inscriptions are: Human Rights Documentary Heritage 1976/1983 (Argentina); American Colonial Music (Bolivia, Columbia, Mexico and Peru); Archives of the National Literacy Campaign (Nicaragua) and Colombeia: Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda's Archives (Venezuela). The American Colonial Music inscription is the first of a regional nature on the register.
Challenges Facing the Programme in the Region
The continuity of the programme in its present structure is likely to be affected by a reorganization of its offices in the region by UNESCO. Whereas the programme was administered previously from Quito, Ecuador it is now located in the Kingston, Jamaica office. Until this matter becomes fully settled, there is some uncertainty regarding the funding of future regional activities of the programme.
The reorganisation also has a direct impact on the quality of the region's web page as there does not seem to be sufficient funds to keep the page updated and also to have all of its content translated into English. In addition, there is no French language version of the page. This is a deterrent to French-speaking nationals in the region becoming involved in the programme. The other major languages in the region are Portuguese and Dutch but most Brazilians are fluent in Spanish and nationals of the former Dutch colonies in the region are multilingual in a number of European languages and some indigenous ones as well. The Guidelines for the programme are very clear that a rich heritage has nothing to do with economic or other attributes when they state. There is no necessary relationship between cultural riches and economic riches, but communities and nations vary in their individual capacity to protect their documentary heritage. Cultural preservation is neither an optional extra for the rich or an unnecessary luxury for the poor; it is universal and fundamental to the survival and growth of the human spirit.
Unfortunately for countries that are not well endowed economically issues pertaining to culture, especially its preservation, are not high on national agendas. When a choice has to be made between building a road or erecting a purpose-built archive, there is no choice because the road addresses a tangible need and will have an immediate qualitative impact on many lives and national well-being. An archive is more aesthetic in its impact. In addition, several nations in the region are unable to effectively and efficiently protect their documentary heritage. Further, the availability of range of skills needed to protect, conserve and preserve the documentary heritage is absent from all countries except the very large ones. These are real and major challenges. The development of vibrant National MoW Committees is a pressing need.
A particular challenge is to identify persons who have a passion for the intangible/documentary heritage, who understand that the value of their work is a long term investment and of which they will not necessarily be the principal beneficiaries. The work of Memory of the World activists is as an investment for and commitment to the patrimony of their heirs and successors. Many of the National Commissions are not in a position to actively support the programme. Indeed, for many of them knowledge about the programme is negligible. This is often a factor of a small staff and too many calls on limited resources. The establishment of national registers has to be encouraged. But, this is not likely to be successful until a national MoW committee is in place. The regional register needs to be strengthened and more institutions encouraged to make nominations to this register.
The multi-language nature of the region is particularly worrisome with respect to furthering the work of MoW. Spanish is spoken by most of the region's residents and because many non-Hispanic nationals are not fluent in this language, it creates a barrier to communication and also increases the administrative and other costs associated with running the programme in the region. While the region is made of many large and medium sized countries, there are many island states. These have particular challenges and these will be discussed in the next section. Issues Peculiar to Small States Like Asia and the Pacific, the Latin America and Caribbean region of the MoW programme is comprised of many small states. Size has its own particular and peculiar effects, even for noble programmes such as the MoW.
http://www.unesco.org/webworld/mow/reg