UNAM Archives

Fonds PA 4 - United Nations Institute for Namibia (UNIN) collection

Identity area

Reference code

PA 4

Title

United Nations Institute for Namibia (UNIN) collection

Date(s)

  • 1976 - 1990 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

Extentxx boxes, xx cubic feet of paper documents. Also includes audiotapes, VHS vides, and slides.

Context area

Name of creator

Administrative history

The UNIN was an educational body set up by the United Nations Council for Namibia in Lusaka, Zambia on 26 August 1976. It was the brainchild of the then United Nations Commissioner for Namibia, Sean MacBride. The main purpose of the creation of UNIN was to have a facility for the education of Namibians in preparation for taking up roles in an independent Namibia. Namibia at that time was still being illegally ruled by Apartheid South Africa, which treated Namibia as its fifth province. Namibia did not have its own tertiary education system but was using the apartheid Bantu Education system, which, by design was inferior and meant specifically for blacks in South Africa and Namibia. Thus, in 1974, the United Nations Council for Namibia under Sean MacBride suggested a tertiary education institution for Namibia in Zambia. This saw its inauguration as UNIN on 26 August 1976 by the then President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda. Funding for the UNIN was initially provided for by the United Nations Fund for Namibia, for a short period. However, UNIN also received financial support from individual government donations and private organizations such as the Ford Foundation. The UNIN was closed in September 1990 (six months after Namibia’s independence) and its documents were transferred to the University of Namibia Library, Archives Unit.

Name of creator

Biographical history

The UNIN was an educational body set up by the United Nations Council for Namibia in Lusaka, Zambia on 26 August 1976. It was the brainchild of the then United Nations Commissioner for Namibia, Sean MacBride. The main purpose of the creation of UNIN was to have a facility for the education of Namibians in preparation for taking up roles in an independent Namibia. Namibia at that time was still being illegally ruled by Apartheid South Africa, which treated Namibia as its fifth province. Namibia did not have its own tertiary education system but was using the apartheid Bantu Education system, which, by design was inferior and meant specifically for blacks in South Africa and Namibia. Thus, in 1974, the United Nations Council for Namibia under Sean MacBride suggested a tertiary education institution for Namibia in Zambia. This saw its inauguration as UNIN on 26 August 1976 by the then President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda. Funding for the UNIN was initially provided for by the United Nations Fund for Namibia, for a short period. However, UNIN also received financial support from individual government donations and private organizations such as the Ford Foundation. The UNIN was closed in September 1990 (six months after Namibia’s independence) and its documents were transferred to the University of Namibia Library, Archives Unit.

Name of creator

Repository

Archival history

Donated to UNAM after UNIN closed in 1989.

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

The UNIN collection is a rich collection on Namibia during the time of the struggle for independence. It holds various publications (periodicals, books, newspapers, newspaper clippings, serials, government publications, and UNIN publications), theses, conference papers, photographs, lecturer materials, educational & religious instructional materials, posters and audiovisual materials. The collection also includes UN Council for Namibia records, UN Commissioner for Namibia records, Statutory Bodies including Commissions and Committees records, records of government agencies as well as SWAPO records.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

The arrangement in this finding aid is an adaptation of the previous listing done to the collection which was also used for data entry into WINISIS. This was done in order not to upset the original arrangement, which seemed usable. Thus the biggest change to this finding aid is the added archival references which previous listing did not have. Thus, some file descriptions are repeated unnecessarily, but for the reasons cited above, the archivist decided to leave it in that order.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Unrestricted access.

Conditions governing reproduction

Can duplicate a maximum of a third of a file. The material duplicated may not be published without permission of copyright owner.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Language and script notes

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

  • Finding aid is still under construction - more items are being added (2015)

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

Sources

Accession area

Related subjects

Related people and organizations

Related genres

Related places