Who Are We
The Eastern and Southern African Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) is a professional body that brings together national archives, other information institutions and individuals in the region to discuss on matters of archives, preservation of documentary heritage, records and information management. It is one of the 13 Branches of the International Council on Archives (ICA) formed in 1969 to carry out the aims and objectives of its mother body, the ICA. At its formation, the branch was known as the East and Central African Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ECARBICA) because its membership extended to countries in the central African region. Drawing from the objectives of the ICA, ESARBICA’s specific objectives can be summed up as: establishing, maintaining and strengthening cooperation between archivists; promoting preservation of archival heritage; facilitating use of archival materials; sponsoring professional training of archivists in the region, and coordinating collection and preservation of oral traditions/oral history. ESARBICA aims to be a leader and centre of excellence in archival and records management developments in the region and internationally.
Since its formation in 1969, ESARBICA has made considerable progress in several areas. Notably, it has been one of the most active members of the ICA and has had regular biennial conferences with high quality presentations from around the world. It has also had regular meetings of national archivists/records managers and has had a strong Executive Board over the years. In terms of publications, ESARBICA has been able to publish its journal and newsletter regularly. However, despite these positive developments it has had a number of challenges. The concerns which have been raised in several meetings and which have formed resolutions over the years include human resource development and capacity building; collection and preservation of oral traditions; repatriation of migrated archives; lack of records management