MEMORJA is the oral, sound and visual archive of the
National Archives of Malta (NAM). Our mission is to record life stories from
people and groups who are underrepresented in the historical record.
The roots of
the project lie in the National Memory Project (NMP), initiated in 2004, followed by collaboration with the Public
Memory Archive (PMA) at the University of Malta. Established in 2017, MEMORJA has
now developed as the principal depositor of our national and public
memory.
MEMORJA
employs advanced methods in oral history, ethnography and cutting-edge archival
approaches to collect, record, preserve and make accessible individual and
shared histories passed on orally, visually and through sound. We are
interested in the diversity of individual memories, life histories, community
experiences and traditions, indigenous knowledge and shared historical events
of the Maltese people.
MEMORJA’s oral
history-trained staff and volunteers carry out continuous ethnographic fieldwork
in the community, enriching our archives with a panoply of memories and
recollections, personal photographs, documents, ephemera, artifacts, audio and video
recordings and film reels which are generously donated, preserved and made
available to all. The ubiquitous presence of our fieldworkers carrying out
research and oral history interviews in the community has made the NAM ever
more visible. This has generated extensive friendships and a unique
relationship of trust between the National Archives and the public.
All digitised
material collected under MEMORJA’s scope is being preserved, catalogued, and made
accessible through this website.