Archival and Research Resources in Conakry, Guinea

I

Archival research in West Africa can present many challenges. In one of the poorest regions of the world, governments struggle to maintain funding for the most basic infrastructure; thus archives and their holdings can often reside in a neglected state. Moreover, research materials may be spread over many departments and buildings, creating a labyrinthine network of officialdom, and requisite access requirements. This paper provides a brief overview of the principal archives located in Conakry, capital of Guinea. It includes current contact information and descriptions of holdings, and expands upon earlier articles by Klein (1981), Ford (1987), Conrad (1993), and Sampson (2002).

On 2 October 2008 Guinea celebrated 50 years of independence. Earlier that year many new ministries were created, including the Ministère de la Culture, des Arts et Loisirs. For the first time in the nation's history, Guinea had its own dedicated ministry of the arts, thus potentially streamlining academic and archival research. The new Ministry faced many hurdles, however, for the story of Guinea's archives during the last 50 years is a tale of both marvel and neglect.

During the nation's First Republic (1958-1984), Guinea's archives became established under the Presidency of Sékou Touré. The Archives Nationale, the Bibliothèque Nationale, and Radiodiffusion Télévision de Guinée were all created during his reign, and Guinea's archival resources were said to be among the best in West Africa. As Touré's grip on power strengthened, the nation's economic malaise grew, and Klein (1981:333) reported that in the early 1980s, when he conducted research in Conakry, he had been warned to expect significant damage to the archival contents. Thankfully, this proved to be untrue, yet it was clear from his report that Guinea's archives were in decline and suffering from lack of funds. With the death of Sékou Touré a coup d'état installed Col. Lansané Conté as President. Conté denounced the former regime, and its cultural policies were abandoned. A countercoup in 1985 led to an attack on the Radiodiffusion Télévision de Guinée offices, which resulted in a large part of its sound archive being destroyed. In 1986 the Bibliothèque Nationale was closed down as part of economic reforms which saw the closure of 50 government enterprises and the dismissal of 45,000 civil servants (O'Toole/Baker 2005:xliv-xlv). A 1990 report remarked that the Bibliothèque Nationale's holdings were scattered among various government buildings, including the basement of the Palais de Peuple, and that materials were poorly stored in mouldy heaps "two or three feet high" (Fein, cited in Conrad 1993:373-74). Part of the archive was also located in the buildings of the defunct Imprimérie Patrice Lumumba, Guinea's flagship printing press of the Sékou Touré era, and when the building was sold its contents were saved by the current Director of the Bibliothèque Nationale, Dr Baba Cheick Sylla. Sampson (2002) provides a graphic account of Sylla's efforts to restore the library to its former glory, and I can report in this paper on recent progress and present a brief survey of its holdings. In addition, this paper will also provide an overview of the function, contents, and access regulations pertinent to Guinea's other major archival resources—the Archives Nationales and the archives of Radiodiffusion Télévision de Guinée, and provide brief reports on other archival resources, including the Bureau Guinéenne du Droit d'Auteur and the Bureau d'Appui des Associations et à l'Action Culturelle Décentralisée. All of Guinea's archives do not as yet have websites, with e-mail contact the most practical means.

II

Guinea's National Library is currently situated within the nation's museum complex in the Sandervalia quarter of Conakry. The library has its own dedicated building within the complex, though it struggles to accommodate its growing collection of materials. Among its collection are First Republic theses, journals, newspapers, and monographs, in addition to a unique complete collection of Guinea's Syliphone recording label, with all 159...