In 2020, GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) institutions have been severely hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic losing their audiences since the start of the lockdown.
This extended period without foot traffic through their doors has forced GLAM institutions to consider what a virtual future looks like.
This is an opportunity for brave young minds to lead in the development of innovative solutions that will be used by some of the continents most reputable GLAM institutions.
As we begin taking the first steps to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic we are all responsible for building a new normal that will shape our future. With digital experiences and a shared economy at the heart of that, how can we help make cultural heritage data more open and accessible to all of us.
How can we bring African cultural heritage to the forefront of virtual experiences?
Who can participate?
This hackathon is open to enthusiastic young professionals in the creative and cultural industries across sub-Saharan Africa. We are looking for game developers, app developers, designers, researchers, media makers, journalists, writers – all are welcome to form teams and register to participate.
When is the hackathon happening?
The hackathon is kicking off on Heritage day, 24 September 2020. The hackathon will run for a period of 3 weeks with final project submissions due on Sunday, 18 October 2020 at 23:59. There will be a virtual prize-giving to announce the winners on a date to be announced.
What is in it for you?
The winning team earns a spot to participate in the Coding Da Vinci hackathon taking place in Germany in 2021 (April or August, depending on International travel restrictions). Additionally, there will be supporting awards for impressive projects that will receive exciting cash/product prizes to be announced in the coming weeks. Winning projects will be featured in the Fak’ugesi 2020 exhibition.
Goals for the hackathon
- To help make cultural heritage data open and accessible to the public
- To deliver impactful learning and development
- To put the question of cultural heritage data on the agenda
- To offer a platform of experimentation to discover what is possible for the future of GLAM institutions
Problem statements: What problems are we taking on?
- Awareness: Bring new levels of awareness to GLAM institutions and their collections to engage new and younger audiences.
- Virtual experiences and Virtual Merchandising: Offer GLAM institutions new platforms and digital products that can transform traditional GLAM experiences into new meaningful virtual experiences
- Archives and Collections: To manage ever increasing collections with millions of artefacts GLAM institutions require digital tools that can make managing audits, and inventory easier.
- Edutainment: With GLAM collections often being text heavy and long oral recordings what new entertaining ways can be found to make learning about cultural heritage fun and engaging.
- African Heritage Highway: Create a (open data) resource library to discover African heritage artefacts and experiences with the correcting naming convention in native languages.
So what are you waiting for?
Apply here and #HackUrCulture with us!
