Oral, Sound and Visual Archive
MEMORJA is the oral, sound and visual
archive of the National Archives of Malta. Tracing back its roots to the
National Memory project, initiated in 2004, MEMORJA was launched in 2017 with
the goal of developing into Malta’s main depositor of national and public
memory.
(Political Poster, 1950-51)
Our objective is to employ cutting edge research,
methodologies and archival approaches to collect, record, transcribe, preserve,
and make accessible shared and individual memories, oral history and traditions
as well as knowledge and experiences of the Maltese people.
MEMORJA’s oral history-trained staff carry out fieldwork in the community and enrich our archives
with a panoply of memories and recollections,
personal photographs,
documents, ephemera, audio recordings and film reels which are generously deposited at the NAM.
(Below Yoked Farm Horses, Siggiewi, 1950-1951)
The constant presence of
fieldworkers carrying out research in the community has made the NAM ever more
visible. The relationship of trust which has been generated between the
institution and the public due to continuous fieldwork has extended the NAM’s
reach and has broadened the project’s boundaries significantly.
While the
project does not exclude any recordings/records of any genre whatsoever,
themes have been selected for which fieldwork has been carried out. These themes include Experiencing War, Migration, The Sea, Malta Buses
and Transport, Agriculture, Industry and the COVID-19 pandemic.
All digitised material
falling under the project’s scope will be preserved, catalogued, and presented
onto an official web portal which is to be launched soon.
(Fishermen loading
nets at Wied iż-Żurrieq, 1950-1951)