Cultural Preservation through Digitisation ft. Gabriel Jones.

by Itai Kuwodza

In an era where digital platforms are increasingly becoming the primary means of sharing information and then automatically preserving it, Gabriel Jones stands at the forefront of a ground-breaking approach to a non-digital industry. Gabriel is committed to mentoring communities in their heritage project initiatives. In this session, he discusses some of the challenges marginalized communities face when preserving their culture in spaces lacking the traditional infrastructure required.

He starts by identifying space as a critical issue—or the actual absence of it—that poses a significant barrier to developing exhibits and other forms of cultural showcases outside of areas like Halifax. Gabriel points out that digitization is a considerable method of overcoming this massive hurdle, as it avoids physical space constraints. He says that digitization also ensures a broader audience can engage and interact with the work. Gabriel also boasts about the need to know what the community has as inventory, exclaiming, "You don't even know what's there!" There are often overlooked treasures within these communities; a critical step in sharing is knowing what is available. Through a series of workshops, Gabriel has introduced inventory creation to various communities, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and cataloguing cultural assets.

Gabriel immerses us in this new age and allows us to experience culture and history. When done right, digitization can be a respectful and authentic means to share a community's culture. In this episode, there are questions to be asked and answered as digitization offers a means to do more than preserve but also foster a connection among individuals through shared stories and histories not limited by location.