On 27 and 28 May 2021 a virtual introductory workshop on oral history theory and methodology was presented to postgraduate students of the Centre for Gender & Africa Studies at the University of the Free State.
The new oral history training manual for beginners that was compiled by Dr Derek du Bruyn (see image) was used as a guide. The manual was compiled for all people who are interested in the basics of oral history interviewing. Although an online workshop can never substitute face-to-face training completely, it was still possible for presenter and students to interact and exchange thoughts.
The disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic urged staff of the National Museum’s History Department to re-think their training strategy. Because of the social distancing measures that continued to be enforced well into 2021, the conventional face-to-face training set-up which typically involved groups of people together in a venue became prohibited. Fortunately, the possibilities presented by new online technology such as the Zoom and Blackboard Collaborate applications (apps) made it possible to present training workshops online.
Text: Dr Derek du Bruyn l Historian l National Museum
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