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A systematic review of access to indigenous cultural heritage material among lower income families in South African archives, art galleries and museums

Materials from indigenous cultural heritage play a significant role in the history and cultural identity of indigenous groups in South Africa. These materials include both tangible and intangible cultural legacies, such as artefacts, writings, traditions, and belief systems, which are stored in arch...

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Main Author: Cebisa, Andisiwe
Other Authors: Higgs, Richard
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship 2025
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access_status_str Open Access
author Cebisa, Andisiwe
author2 Higgs, Richard
author_browse Cebisa, Andisiwe
Higgs, Richard
author_facet Higgs, Richard
Cebisa, Andisiwe
author_sort Cebisa, Andisiwe
collection Thesis
description Materials from indigenous cultural heritage play a significant role in the history and cultural identity of indigenous groups in South Africa. These materials include both tangible and intangible cultural legacies, such as artefacts, writings, traditions, and belief systems, which are stored in archives, art galleries, and museums. Again, these institutions provide access to indigenous cultural heritage materials, enabling individuals and communities to learn about their history, culture, and traditions. However, access to these materials is limited, particularly for lower-income families. To explore the challenges faced by lower-income families in accessing indigenous cultural heritage materials in archives, art galleries, and museums in South Africa, a systematic review was conducted. A qualitative research approach was used to analyse available literature and data. Nine databases were used, and searches were conducted between March 2021 and December 2023. Using the systematic review screening process and the PRISMA checklist, publications were checked against the inclusion criteria, resulting in 122 articles being included in the final review. The findings showed that financial constraints facing organisations and consumers, social stigma, lack of community engagement, language and communication barriers, community image and representation, cultural and digital literacy, and disparities in internet connectivity are major barriers confronting this group of people. It is recommended that government reduce financial barriers, improve advocacy, training and representation, enact meaningful policies on cultural heritage access and preservation, form strategic partnerships between cultural institutions and government agencies, and enhance the accessibility of cultural heritage resources.
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:31:43.046Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship
publisherStr Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship
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source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42186 A systematic review of access to indigenous cultural heritage material among lower income families in South African archives, art galleries and museums Cebisa, Andisiwe Higgs, Richard Indigenous Cultural heritage Access Lower income Social class South Africa Materials from indigenous cultural heritage play a significant role in the history and cultural identity of indigenous groups in South Africa. These materials include both tangible and intangible cultural legacies, such as artefacts, writings, traditions, and belief systems, which are stored in archives, art galleries, and museums. Again, these institutions provide access to indigenous cultural heritage materials, enabling individuals and communities to learn about their history, culture, and traditions. However, access to these materials is limited, particularly for lower-income families. To explore the challenges faced by lower-income families in accessing indigenous cultural heritage materials in archives, art galleries, and museums in South Africa, a systematic review was conducted. A qualitative research approach was used to analyse available literature and data. Nine databases were used, and searches were conducted between March 2021 and December 2023. Using the systematic review screening process and the PRISMA checklist, publications were checked against the inclusion criteria, resulting in 122 articles being included in the final review. The findings showed that financial constraints facing organisations and consumers, social stigma, lack of community engagement, language and communication barriers, community image and representation, cultural and digital literacy, and disparities in internet connectivity are major barriers confronting this group of people. It is recommended that government reduce financial barriers, improve advocacy, training and representation, enact meaningful policies on cultural heritage access and preservation, form strategic partnerships between cultural institutions and government agencies, and enhance the accessibility of cultural heritage resources. 2025-11-12T09:53:14Z 2025-11-12T09:53:14Z 2025 2025-11-12T09:52:28Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters Masters http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42186 eng application/pdf Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Indigenous
Cultural heritage Access
Lower income
Social class
South Africa
Cebisa, Andisiwe
A systematic review of access to indigenous cultural heritage material among lower income families in South African archives, art galleries and museums
thesis_degree_str Master's
title A systematic review of access to indigenous cultural heritage material among lower income families in South African archives, art galleries and museums
title_full A systematic review of access to indigenous cultural heritage material among lower income families in South African archives, art galleries and museums
title_fullStr A systematic review of access to indigenous cultural heritage material among lower income families in South African archives, art galleries and museums
title_full_unstemmed A systematic review of access to indigenous cultural heritage material among lower income families in South African archives, art galleries and museums
title_short A systematic review of access to indigenous cultural heritage material among lower income families in South African archives, art galleries and museums
title_sort systematic review of access to indigenous cultural heritage material among lower income families in south african archives art galleries and museums
topic Indigenous
Cultural heritage Access
Lower income
Social class
South Africa
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42186
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AT cebisaandisiwe systematicreviewofaccesstoindigenousculturalheritagematerialamonglowerincomefamiliesinsouthafricanarchivesartgalleriesandmuseums