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REPORT OF THE SEVENTH CONFERENCE AND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE SOUTH EAST ASIA PACIFIC AUDIO VISUAL ARCHIVE ASSOCIATION
Vientiane, Lao PDR
13-17 May 2002
By Dr. Branko Bubenik
The seventh Conference and General Assembly of the South East Asia-Pacific
Audio Visual Archive Association ( SEAPAVAA) was held in Vientiane,Lao PDR from
13 to17 May 2002.
The theme of the Conference was Mapping Tomorrow: A Reality Check for the
Archives The five-day Conference was the first regional gathering of audiovisual
archivists in Vientiane that served as forum for issues,concerns,and major developments
in the audiovisual archive sector for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
The conference was attended by delegates representing audiovisual archives
in Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pacific Islands,Philippines,Singapore,Thailand,
United Kingdom,USA,Vietnam.
On Conference were 90 participants.
The Conference consisted of: Symposium, General Assembly Meeting, Film Screenings,
Institutional Visits, and a Tour of Lao.
On Conference were representatives of AMIA ( Mrs Joann Watson) and IASA (Mr.
Crispin Jewitt,IASA President.
I was there like FIAT/IFTA representative,and it was first official contact
with this big and important association.
On the Openning Ceremony the principal speaker was Dr. Khekkeo Sayxaygma Acting
Minister for Information and Culture in Lao PDR.
CONFERENCE SYMPOSIUM
The theme for the Symposium was Mapping tomorow:A reality check for Archives.
The Symposium was divided into four segments,with each segment ending with a
forum.
Segment 1: The ideal archive :Visions and Hopes
In this part was presented country papers where member countries presented visions
and hopes fot their AV archives.
Segment 2: Where are We Now
Continued the country reports and presented an overwiew of the current state
of the archiving.
Segment 3: Mapping the Future:Buying Time,Directions and Resources
Topics:Digitization,storage,prioritization and disaster preparedness,the use
of materials from archives in TV documentaries,copyright/legal deposit and politics
in archiving.
Segment 4: Strategies for the Future
Covered training,better communication and networking among AV archives.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING
SEAPAVAA have General Assembly every year in two days after Conference
Symposium. On beginning I expressed greetings from FIAT/IFTA to the participants,with
hopes that the two associations will exchange information and further establish
contact for future cooperation.
My offer for organization one regional seminar for TV archivists of SEAPAVAA was
welcomed by the meeting.
We have possibility to organize regional seminar in year 2003 in May, in city
Darussalam, in Brunei,two days before 8.SEAPAVAA conference.
After elections SEAPAVAA have complete new leadership.New President is Mrs
BELINA CAPUL(former general secretary) from Philippines.New General Secretary
is Mrs.Dr. SAMSIAH MUHAMAD ,from National Archives of Malaysia.
In SEAPAVAA Executive Council are:The President,the Immediate past president
Ray Edmondson(non-voting member of EC),Secretary General,Treasurer,3 councilors,
1 councilor elected by the Associate Members(Jim Lindner)
Full membership fee is 247 USD
INSTITUTIONAL VISITS
The Conference participants visited the Lao National Library.Lao National Film
Archive and Video Centre,Lao National Radio and Lao National Television.The insitutional
visits showed that even with limited resources,with cooperative efforts between
government and stakeholders,a country can pursue archival programs to safeguard
its audiovisual collections.
EXCURSION TO NAMNGUM DAM AND LUANAG PHRABANG
In one day excursion conference participants visit the Namngum Dam and hydro electric
power on Mekong river.
Optionaly three days excursion to old Lao capital,city Luang Phrabang 450 km from
Vientiane,was really big adventure.
With minibus thru Lao mountains,jungle in monsun rains,destroyed roads,bandits
in forrest,
2 hours boat navigation on swell Mekong river,and finaly lot of beautifull budistic
temples and egzotic cultural monuments.
I will prepare for EC in Anatlya one 10 minutes VHS cassette.
PROPOSALS,SUGGESTIONS
I have never been on better organized conference.
SEAPAVAA is very good organized association,on big territory,where economical
and climate problems is the worst in world.
Other simular international AV organisations are working with SEAPAVAA from beginning(FIAF,IASA,AMIA,UNESCO)
I propose for FIAT/IFTA EC:
- FIAT/IFTA and SEAPAVAA reciprocal membership without paying membership fee.
(like AMIA and SEAPAVAA relations) in status of Associate Institutional members.
- Exchange informations about plans and activities.
- Organizing mutual activities.
- SEAPAVAA representative in FIAT/IFTA EC(without voting rights)
- Organizing regional seminar for TV archivists of SEAPAVAA,in Darussalam
(Brunei),in ,May 2003.
- Help in organisations of TV archives in this region. Lot of televisions
in these countries in this region have not yet TV archive (Cambodia,Indonesia,Thailand...)and
other have only few shelves with AV documents in one corner in TV building.
- I will for regional training purpose divide this super region in subregions:
- Indochina
- Pacific area
- Indonesia
- Australia and New Zealand
Dr. Branko Bubenik
Training Commission
E-mail: b.bubenik@hrt.hr
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EDITORS: Tedd Johansen, FIAT/IFTA c/o NRK NO-0340 Oslo, Norway
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