Archive history in Zambia as a history of loss

Abstract

This article is about how both the accidental and intentional loss of archives in Zambia has shaped what kind of history can be written about the region and who can write this history. The loss of archives is often viewed as the result of intentional destruction but he loss of archives can also be accidental. Moreover, loss is not only related to destruction, intentional or otherwise. It can also be about the loss of an archive to a specific place or group of people through the removal or disappearance of that archive. Many archives have disappeared or been removed from Zambia, and the same is the case in many other African countries. There is a longstanding assumption that archives can be best preserved outside Zambia and this shapes who can write about the region’s history.