Oral history often brings to light different perspectives and less visible stories. For example, it includes life stories and testimonies of people about historical events, or about what heritage means to them. These stories are valuable resources for heritage organizations. With digital tools, they can present these stories even more comprehensively and vividly to a wide audience. This webinar shows how small heritage organizations can get started with this.
The webinar addresses questions such as: What is the value of oral history? How do you start an oral history project? And how do you document the stories so that they remain accessible and visible in the future? Join the conversation with colleagues from across the Kingdom about possible solutions to shared challenges.
Who is the webinar for?
This webinar is aimed at small heritage organizations in Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, and the European Netherlands. The webinar is in English, but you can also ask your questions in Dutch.
Speakers
Rose Mary Allen is an anthropologist and one of the first researchers to make extensive use of oral history. In 2021, she was appointed Professor of Culture, Community, and History at the University of Curaçao. In the 1970s, she began interviewing descendants of enslaved people on the various islands of the Kingdom to document Afro-Curaçaoan social life after the abolition of slavery.
Marijn Braam and Mila Lemmens work at “Speaking History”, the national hub for oral history, and advise communities and small heritage organizations on oral history. These organizations often find it challenging to properly store, make accessible, and present oral history. That’s why the project Hidden Stories was launched in 2025. In this project, “Speaking History”, provincial heritage partners, and the Digital Heritage Network collaborate with local initiatives to make these stories more visible. The project explores how local and regional initiatives can do this and how they can be supported. Marijn and Mila share their insights and discuss what can be done with the results.
This webinar is a collaboration between the Digital Heritage Network (opens in new tab) and DEN, the knowledge institute for culture and digital transformation. Participation is free. Sign up today and secure your spot.
After registering, you will receive practical information about the event from the Digital Heritage Network.
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