Erfenisstigting and Akademia partner to preserve and expand Afrikaans knowledge

In a significant step toward preserving and making Afrikaans and South African cultural heritage accessible, the Erfenisstigting (Heritage Foundation) and Akademia have formed a partnership that opens up new opportunities for research and learning.

Through this collaboration, the Erfenisstigting, custodian of the Afrikaners’ historical and cultural memory, gains access to Akademia’s modern electronic database system. At the same time, Akademia’s students and lecturers will now be able to make use of the Erfenisstigting’s extensive Afrikaner Research Library and unique archive.

The Erfenisstigting’s library houses more than 30,000 books, as well as pamphlets, magazines, newspapers, and 98 archival collections containing documents, letters, photographs, posters, postcards, and audiovisual records, some more than a century old.

“This is a place brimming with stories, where endless historical and cultural treasures are preserved,” says Dr Danie Langner, managing director of the Kultuurtuiste (Cultural Home). “We are very excited to open this up to Akademia’s students. This means that this heritage will not only be preserved but will become part of a living academic community.”

Tradition meets technology

As part of the agreement, the Erfenisstigting’s library records will be added to Akademia’s Koha library system, allowing mutual access to materials and records. Akademia’s students will now be able to view, via their digital platform, which sources are available at the Erfenisstigting, and vice versa.

“I am very impressed by the incredible work being done by the Erfenisstigting,” says Marthinus Visser, managing director of Akademia. “In the future, I see seamless integration between Akademia and the Erfenisstigting’s resources to bring this history to life for the next generation. It is an incredible treasure trove of knowledge for students and researchers.”

Preserving intellectual heritage

The Erfenisstigting’s research library focuses strongly on South African history, with an emphasis on Afrikaans literature and church and cultural history, as well as regional and local history. This rich collection has been built up over decades and serves as an essential source for researchers and authors exploring the depth of Afrikaans heritage.

For Akademia, the collaboration means that new academic programmes, especially in history and related fields, can now directly benefit from these unique resources. It creates an integrated learning environment where theory and original materials complement each other.

“Our hope is that every student will discover something here that is meaningful. something that becomes part of his or her story,” says Langner. “This is more than research and more than academia. It’s something that touches hearts and shapes young people.”

A partnership with wider impact

The Genealogical Society of South Africa (GGSA)’s Northern Gauteng branch library collection, already housed at the Erfenisstigting, will also be added to the new system. This addition significantly strengthens the genealogical and family history dimension of the joint library.

Erfenisstigting manager Lizette Jansen says the partnership carries symbolic importance.

“With this historic collaboration between the Erfenisstigting and Akademia, not only books and resources are shared, but also knowledge, identity, and hope, in service of the researcher, the student, and the Afrikaans community as a whole.”

The partnership between the Erfenisstigting and Akademia brings tradition and technology together to preserve, digitise, and make Afrikaans knowledge accessible for future generations.