• DOI:10.1080/17411912.2012.689471
• Corpus ID: 161481862

Repatriating Archival Sound Recordings to Revive Traditions: The Role of the Klaus Wachsmann Recordings in the Revival of the Royal Music of Bunyoro-Kitara, Uganda

@article{Kahunde2012RepatriatingAS,
  title={Repatriating Archival Sound Recordings to Revive Traditions: The Role of the Klaus Wachsmann Recordings in the Revival of the Royal Music of Bunyoro-Kitara, Uganda},
  author={Samuel Kahunde},
  journal={Ethnomusicology Forum},
  year={2012},
  volume={21},
  pages={197 - 219}
}

• Samuel Kahunde
• Published 29 June 2012
• History
• Ethnomusicology Forum

This article is a case study of archiving and repatriation of sound recordings to the communities of their origin. Klaus Wachsmann recorded the traditional folk music of Uganda, including that of the kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara, in 1949, 1950 and 1954. These recordings were later deposited at the British Library, digitised and put online, but were accessible only to higher and further education institutions in the United Kingdom that had signed a licence. When the British Library recently opened up its archival sound recordings to a wider community, this was a great opportunity for the kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara, which has been struggling to revive its traditions, especially those connected with royal rituals. This paper discusses how the author accessed the Klaus Wachsmann historical recordings and took them to Bunyoro-Kitara, and how they have subsequently been used, especially in the revival of musical traditions.