eNanda Online: sharing Zulu cultural heritage on the Internet

Abstract

‘eNanda Online’ is a newly established, interactive,completely bilingual (English and isiZulu) website projectthat aims to digitally record and share the oral historyand living cultural heritage of a predominantly Zulucommunity outside Durban on the South African eastcoast. The site contains personalised accounts of ritualsand customary practices, memories of ‘unsung heroes’and videos with custodians of ‘living heritage’, along withtourist information. In the long run, the site’s interactivecharacter is meant to facilitate community selfdocumentation. The paper illustrates how this projectrepresents a new approach in the collection, promotionand safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage,allied with the objectives and recommendations ofimportant national and international policies andlegislation. It then critically discusses some of theshortcomings and challenges associated with collectingand preserving living cultural heritage on the Internet. The paper concludes with some wider considerationsabout the project’s contribution and its potential future.