World Library and Information Congress : 73rd IFLA General Conference and Council
"Libraries for the Future: Progress, Development and Partnerships"
19 to 23 August 2007, Durban, South Africa
Thus begins Judge Albie Sachs (Photo:. with Gen. Adam Welz),
one of the most impressive People of the new South Africa and one of the great civil rights leader of the 20th Century, his speech at the opening of the conference on 19 WLIC August 2007 at the Great Hall of the venue, the conference center, ICC Durban. He talks about his access to books and on how the library helped him to stay mentally healthy, as it because of the "90 day law" was without charges, without trial, without access to lawyers or anyone else for months in solitary confinement.
The isolation is so bad because there are no external clues more, to which the person may bring into equation: reality, personality and identity are lost. The Reizdeprivation leads to disorientation, one's memory is the only place of refuge.
Albie Sachs began to recite the alphabet, to sing songs that began with the letters of the alphabet: A Always ..., B Because ... so difficult with the X, so he was "Deep in the Heart of Texas". He created the romantic song by Irving Berlin "Always" is a song with which he fought the loneliness of a South African prison cell, and sings it again on:
"I'll be living here, always / Year after year, always / In this little cell that I know so well / I'll be living swell, always, always. / I'll be staying in, always / Keeping my chin up, always / Not for but an hour / not for but a week / not for 90 days, but always. "
And it began only with the 90-day-law, the next time was it is the 180-day-law and really wanted to keep unwanted people forever in solitary confinement and isolation torture.
Albie Sachs, saying the 5000 participants large audience in the huge hall was so quiet you could hear a needle can.
He spoke of how he tried to reconstruct and remember, catalog, he of the world outside had in mind from trying to construct the world in the spirit. The only book that he was allowed was the Bible. He read it again and again, not too fast so he will not soon again at the end was. He has devised lists of books wanted to read it and came one day it really so much that he was allowed to get books in his cell. His guards worried, whatever they wanted it or what it was possible to obtain, in a small public library, not far from the prison. He describes the rescue, he is done through books, such as the sheet anchor, the one is thrown when one has fallen out of the boat. And then he thanked the unknown librarian - in his mind there was always a librarian - who then supplied him with the essential reading material, perhaps knowing what this meant for him.
He compares the safe swimming around the boat with the safe working within the library traditions of daily work and training, and to venture a little further from the boat away - to where it is to find the really interesting things - with the conference in South Africa, where you get to see things never seen and experienced.
In Africa, for example, some libraries two legs - the lost treasure of her knowledge comes from tradition and experience with them, if you do not find ways to save it.
In the days of apartheid passed the actual story mainly orally, written, it was always trace back on the author - on the one hand, and on the other hand you could not trust the word spread in the media.
The storage and memory is essential, and libraries are places of refuge and freedom of spirit. It's about books and other written, but also increasingly to the Internet - the invisible virtual library in the world.
Albie Sachs, the lawyer and judge who was in the construction of the South African legal system is heavily involved, of course, especially the largest law library in the southern hemisphere: the library of the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg.
to repressive systems in the best people from outside nothing about their rights, they get lies and propaganda, but they should not have access to the written word. The lawyers Sachs and Mandela know best from their experience of apartheid, how easy it is to twist the law to distort and make them disappear. The guardians of the law have a kind of secret knowledge and no one can know exactly what it is based. Therefore, the importance of this great law library as a building that represents the struggle and liberation.
The physical building is important and that its facilities accessible to all - in the library lead ramps that you can ride in a wheelchair to open shelves, in which the books, files, leaves the laws of all African countries classified by an understandable system, stand available. You can move freely, to travel freely associate, ... within the library.
The library is an essential part of the Constitutional Court, the building stands on the site of the old prison, Fort Prison, and it is built of material of the former prison. But it is something completely new in its architecture and embodies the spirit of freedom and appreciates the struggle for its liberation. There is a part of the stones and bars of the prison and that means going to the sufferings of the prisoners never lost, but it's like a phoenix from the ashes of something quite new and different now. Next space, light and air, its clarity and beauty items and crushed the buildings are still not the old prison wings, which still surround it and which are preserved as a museum.
South Africa has had to build a new legal system and Mandela and his government officials gathered information from around the world, laws are compared from anywhere and in frequent exchanges with judges and legal researchers from around the world.
Also Dr. Alex Byrne, IFLA President-elect speaks about Gandhi's struggle for human rights that began in South Africa - when he invited friends of business his father to come as a consultant in a legal case from India to Pretoria, South Africa, - with a first-class ticket on the train in Pietermaritzburg had to change the place, 3 in the Class of the train, the people of color has been assigned. Because he refused, he was thrown off the train. His fight, which took its start here in South Africa influenced the other civil rights movements, played by Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela.
central base and target these liberties and civil rights movements with struggles for truth and justice by means of violence is the freedom of speech and expression, freedom of access to information for all.
The IFLA is aware of the responsibility and solidarity with our colleagues across the globe through. The organization supports them in their daily struggle for development, information, provide the competence to conserve appropriation of information and developing structures that allow libraries to knowledge and cultural heritage and places of social development to be.
Everywhere the IFLA advocates the freedom of expression, the access to information and knowledge - and Alex Byrne makes clear in places where these rights are threatened and persecuted, like in Cuba in June to the libraries and librarians retention and share of colleagues and the organization to convey.
At this conference in Durban emphasizes the aspects of development, the future of global partnerships and the fact that participants from African countries accounted for half of the time the delegates and speakers, welcomed with great joy.
solidarity within the IFLA found expression in support of Australian colleagues who mustered up the money to enable African colleagues participating in the Congress - and thus to allow them the opportunity for meetings with colleagues, exchange, and perhaps resulting partnerships.
Pallo Jordan , South Africa Minister for Arts and Culture, also one of the old
generation fighter, talks about the development of an information society that is free, fair and equitable for all and also that the responsibility lies mainly in the libraries. Books are eye-openers, companion, raconteur. Ideas for a better future are the only thing that is for the time being there - to put it into reality, means work - and that libraries need support, solidarity, partnership, encouragement and empowerment. He described his access to books, the life-saving effect of libraries which he learned he basis of the "90 day law" was without charges, without trial, without access to lawyers or anyone else for months in solitary confinement. (Photo Source: www.passia.org ) is
Gcina Mhlope , the "Mother of Books" in South Africa, well known as a freedom fighter, activist, actress, storyteller, author - and they
performed the ceremony! It is an extraordinary experience, this charismatic personality to experience in their element: telling stories and reading, animating, and to feel the love and enthusiasm, with which it fills the last corner of the vast hall, and the hearts of viewers and listeners. "May the heart beat of Africa echo in your soul ..." she says, one thing is certain: Africa will never disappear from our soul.
Photo: Sally Blackman
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