The British Library reconnects historical recordings of cultural songs and stories to the people of Solomon Islands through the National Museum
As part of the True Echoes project, the British Library and the Solomon Islands National Museum have co-researched digitised wax cylinder recordings from the British Library collection that were made in Solomon Islands between 1908 and 1914.
These recordings contain significant music, stories, speeches as important cultural records.
These document the oral traditions, cultural rituals, and history of Simbo, Rannonga and across Malaita.
Through the True Echoes project, the British Library has donated audio equipment to the Solomon Islands National Museum to make these digital recordings accessible to the people of Solomon Islands.
British High Commissioner to Solomon Islands His Excellency Thomas Coward presented the equipment to Deputy Director of the National Museum, Lawrence Kiko, who upon receiving the kit, said:
Principal Investigator on the True Echoes project at the British Library, Isobel Clouter, said:
True Echoes was funded by the Leverhulme Trust and the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
The collection can be found online at https://www.true-echoes.com.