Ouagadougou: The Burkinabe National Memory of the World Committee kicked off open days at the Memory of the World institutes in Burkina Faso on September 25, continuing until the 26th, in an effort to promote the preservation of documentary heritage.

According to Burkina Information Agency, these open days are designed to acknowledge the significant efforts made by archives and documentation professionals in safeguarding the national memory of Burkina Faso. The initiative also aims to raise awareness among the general public, especially young people, about the importance of preserving, conserving, and promoting documentary heritage. Saturnin Bationo, the representative of the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, highlighted Burkina Faso's rich documentary heritage and urged decision-makers and sector professionals to collaborate in developing mechanisms and strategies for better conservation.

Malo Toudroudoua, president of the Burkina Faso National Memory of the World Committee, expressed a desire for increased public engagement with conservation centres such as libraries, documentation centres, and archives departments following these events. "I think that for the layman who thinks that archives are documents without importance, without value, this is an opportunity for me to tell them that the archives really constitute the memory of our country and these archives must be treated to allow those who will come after us to know what has been done to lay the foundations for the future," he emphasized.

Throughout the two-day event, panels and communications will address national challenges related to documentary preservation and the creation of the Summary Memories of Angles of the World.