The Fighting Erasure project team is excited to share a special moment of recognition and appreciation for our participants from the first round of our training course, Archival Education & Training: Fundamentals of Archival Management & Emergency Mitigation in Palestine, Lebanon & the Global South. This free, virtual, bilingual training course ran from January 25 until March 8th, 2025.
We value the dedication of our graduating cohort of 34 students from Gaza, as well as elsewhere in Palestine, Lebanon, and Sudan, representing professionals and emerging practitioners working in libraries, archives, and cultural and academic institutions during a time of genocide and war. This achievement reflects their commitment to advancing archival knowledge and skills, and their passion for contributing to the preservation of history and protection of cultural heritage when it is most needed, under increasingly difficult and tireless conditions.
We are proud to highlight a few members of the cohort, representing diverse academic and professional backgrounds.
Dr. Abdul Latif Abu Hashem, Director General, Eyes on Heritage Foundation
Ahmed Farah, Librarian, Omdurman Ahlia University
Dalal Qeshta, Master’s Student, Tunis University
Hasan Abu Ataya, Director, Cultural Centers Department Municipality of Gaza
Ibrahim Al Haj, Researcher, @ibrahimzalhaj1
Ibrahim Mashharawi, Content Creator, Fardisya
Israa Al Qadi, Cultural Program Coordinator, Riwaq Centre for Architectural Conservation
Lamyaa Mohammad, Technical Archivist, Faisal Islamic Bank
Lena Ali, Journalist
Omar Khatib, General Coordinator, Archival Community Palestine (ACP)
Ramzi Mansouri, Archive Management & Documentation, Ferhat Abbas University
Rawand Badra, Cultural Department Coordinator, Fardisya, @inashalusraassociation
Saeed Shaat, Manuscript Restoration and Electronic Archiving Specialist, Eyes on Heritage Foundation
Shahd Qudaih, University Student, University College of Applied Sciences
Shireen Allan, President, ICOMOS Palestine, https://www.linkedin.com/in/shireen-allan-ab3aa142/
Our training course focuses on knowledge-sharing and building resilience in regions where cultural heritage preservation is under threat. It is funded and supported by the International Council on Archives’ Section on Archival Education & Training and International Council on Archives’ FIDA, sponsored by Litwin Books, co-presented with the Middle East Librarians Association’s Archives & Records Advocacy & Training Group and the Archives & Digital Media Lab, and in collaboration with the Fighting Erasure: Digitizing Gaza’s Genocide and the War on Lebanon project, Archival Society in Palestine (ACP), and Lebanese Library Association. This training is made possible by the commitment and labour of a global network of volunteers and instructors who have dedicated their time and energies to the Fighting Erasure project. We are deeply grateful for their principled work and contributions.
If you are able to support this crucial work, you can find donation information here.
Course Description:
This course is designed for archivists, librarians and heritage professionals in Palestine, Lebanon and elsewhere in the Global South where there is conflict, war, and/or a lack of archival training and education opportunities. It is a hands-on course designed to help you walk through the key components of planning and implementing emergency mitigation and disaster mitigation planning, particularly digitization projects. Topics include:
* the context of the creation and the characteristics of records; the management and preservation of records in all formats and media (digital, paper, multimedia, audio, etc.) with limited resources and infrastructures;
* emergency preparedness, disaster mitigation, rescue and recovery in times of conflict and natural disasters from a Global South perspective;
* the digitization and digital curation of records;
* and the social, cultural, legal, and political dimensions of archives and records.
Important Details:
* A free virtual live course.
* Taught in English with Arabic interpretation/translation. We will do our best to accommodate other languages upon request.
* Everyone is welcome to apply but spots are limited. Priority will be given to professionals in Palestine, Lebanon and the Global South in conflict settings and where there is little/no archival education capacity locally.
Instructors, Organizers and Collaborators:
* Funded and supported by the International Council on Archives’ Section on Archival Education & Training.
* Taught by Dr. Jamila J. Ghaddar; Dr. Ana Roeschley, Tam Rayan; Amal Hassan, Andrew Sandock; Krystal Payne; and with accessibility and coordination facilitated by Ghada Dimashk and Dr. Nisha Toomey.
* Co-presented with the Middle East Librarians Association’s Archives & Records Advocacy & Training Group and the Archives & Digital Media Lab.
* In collaboration with the Fighting Erasure: Digitizing Gaza’s Genocide and the War on Lebanon project (PI’s: Drs. Rami Zurayk, Hanine Shehadeh and Jamila J. Ghaddar); Archival Society in Palestine (ACP); and Lebanese Library Association.
Taught by Dr. Jamila J. Ghaddar; Dr. Ana Roeschley; Tam Rayan; Krystal Payne; Amal Ahmed; Andrew Sandock with accessibility and coordination facilitated by Rima Ghanem; Mona Bashir; Dr. Mariam Karim; Ghada Dimashk; Fatima El Bazzal.
Applications CLOSED. Please join the wait list for the next intake in 2026 for the course: Archival Education & Training: Fundamentals of Archival Management & Emergency Mitigation in Palestine, Lebanon & the Global South
We welcome you to join the wait list for future intakes at this link.
