Liber|Sound – Innovative Archival Practices toward Sound Memory Liberation. A Transcontinental Experience

Abstract

Liber|Sound is a research project developed by INET-md and the University of Aveiro, which aims to connect different sound archives in the Lusophone world. The project was awarded in 2021 with 250 thousand euros from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, the institution that supports research in Portugal. LiberSound works with four historical sound archives located in Brazil (Discografia Brasileira em 78 rpm), Mozambique (Radio Mozambique Sound Archive), Portugal (Coleção José Moças), and Goa/India (former Emissora de Goa Sound Archive). All of them represent four different colonial and postcolonial reality. Rather than studying each of these collections as separate sound archives, Liber|Sound aims to break down their boundaries and focus on their interchangeable and interconnected aspects. The purpose of this panel is to discuss the political challenges, technical issues, and practical problems that arise from academic research conducted in postcolonial contexts, specifically focusing on the study of sound archives from a transnational and postcolonial perspective. We will explore the obstacles encountered when attempting to uncover silenced sounds trapped in outdated mediums, namely shellac discs, which serve as connectors between people, languages, and cultures that are divided by policies, countries, or oceans. Additionally, we will explore innovative approaches to archiving that can promote the liberation and revitalization of memories and cultural heritage preserved on those discs.