World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

awareness of the importance of audiovisual documents as an integral part of national identities, and to draw attention to the urgent need to protect them, Manila Bulletin says.

The 2011 theme, “Audiovisual Heritage: See, Hear and Learn”, highlights how audiovisual media has the highest potential for cultural expression, new methods of creating and accessing knowledge, and conveying ideas and creativity that are at the very foundation of modern civilisation.

Philippine Information Agency states that the Co-ordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA) is designated by Unesco as the lead implementing body to organise the yearly celebrations.

The world's entire audiovisual heritage of the last century is endangered. Most of what has been produced has been lost due to the ravages of time, ignorance of its value, chemical decay and technological obsolescence.

Meanwhile, The News International reports that film, television and radio are common heritage. They help to maintain the cultural identity of a people, but countless documentary treasures have disappeared since the invention of image and sound technologies that permit people of the world to better share their experiences, creativity and knowledge.

The first World Day for Audiovisual Heritage was held on 27 October 2007.