African content is...
Important
Approximately twenty percent of humanity is African or of African heritage.
Underrepresented
Within Western library collections, less than four percent of the content is African.
Inaccessible
There are thousands of digital archives containing African materials, but it remains difficult for Africans to access their own cultural heritage.
Africa Commons is a project to preserve and disseminate Africa's cultural heritage.
Closing the representation gap
Africa Commons helps close the representation gap by digitizing, preserving, and disseminating African content, to bring access to libraries throughout the world. (Photo: Mogadishu International Book Fair)
Saving at-risk content
Recent fires in Nigeria, Malawi, and South Africa have destroyed archives. Floods, pests, and climate change pose risks. We work with African institutions to identify and preserve content before its too late. (Photo: Digitization at Moi University)
Repatriating African content
Our module, African History and Culture, enables scholars to find and access expressions of their heritage in Western collections. We give free access to African institutions and to HBCUs. (Photo: University of South Africa by A. Bailey)
Our editorial board
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Open Access
We’re working with the Council for Library and Information Resources (CLIR) to identify and build open collections of African cultural heritage. We welcome inquiries from organizations looking for a place to host their content. Any collection sponsored by a nonprofit will be made freely available to all.
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