History in Africa

Graeme Counsel
Archival and Research Resources in Conakry, Guinea
History in Africa - Volume 36, 2009, pp. 439-445

African Studies Association

Project MUSE - History in Africa - Archival and Research Resources in Conakry, Guinea Project MUSE Journals History in Africa Volume 36, 2009 Archival and Research Resources in Conakry, Guinea History in Africa Volume 36, 2009 E-ISSN: 1558-2744 Print ISSN: 0361-5413 DOI: 10.1353/hia.2010.0003 Archival and Research Resources in Conakry, Guinea Graeme CounselUniversity of Melbourne I Archival research in West Africa can present many challenges. In one of the poorest regions of the world, governments struggle to maintain funding for the most basic infrastructure; thus archives and their holdings can often reside in a neglected state. Moreover, research materials may be spread over many departments and buildings, creating a labyrinthine network of officialdom, and requisite access requirements. This paper provides a brief overview of the principal archives located in Conakry, capital of Guinea. It includes current contact information and descriptions of holdings, and expands upon earlier articles by Klein (1981), Ford (1987), Conrad (1993), and Sampson (2002). On 2 October 2008 Guinea celebrated 50 years of independence. Earlier that year many new ministries were created, including the Ministère de la Culture, des Arts et Loisirs. For the first time in the nation's history, Guinea had its own dedicated ministry of the arts, thus potentially streamlining academic and archival research. The new Ministry faced many hurdles, however, for the story of Guinea's...