Audio and Video
Collection of Union Trade Company
When the Union Trading Company (UTC) of Basel ceased to operate in the late 1990s the main part of its archives were transferred to the archives of Mission of the Basel Mission (today mission 21). Among the holdings were approximately 900 shellac records from the 1930s to 1950s. This music recorded in Ghana and Nigeria shall be made accessible in digital form. In a first pilot project 100 recordings from Ghana were digitised and in 2001 a selection was published on the audio CD Ghana Popular Music 1931-1957. Copies of all digitised material were deposited at the relevant institutions in Ghana.
Now the project continues. With the funds raised through the sale of the first CD Ghana Popular Music 1931-1957 another batch of 100 songs from Nigeria was digitised. It is planned to release another CD with the title Nigeria Popular Music 1954-1957.
Database of professional and amateur film material
This list of films produced by Swiss amateurs and professionals before the era of VHS (1975) was assembled by Luregn Lengenhagger and Samuel Bachmann as part of an internship at the Museum of Cultures Basel. It focuses on holdings in Basel but also includes holdings in other Swiss towns. Download the list as pdf-Dokument.
Sound and video archives of the Basler Afrika Bibliographien
The sound and video archives contain collections relating to popular music and African languages in southern Africa, bequests of scientists and journalists with interviews and TV and film documentaries covering different political as well as scientific topics. Access to the sound and video archives is restricted.