Tania Muakuku Elembo
My relationship with archiving has always been personal. As a teenager, I was already intentional about preserving my family's visual memory and understanding the stories behind the pictures that filled our albums. Those conversations eventually took the shape of a short documentary that breathes life into those still testimonies. That process helped me understand the power of recording, holding, and revisiting stories that are often overlooked. My most significant experience in archiving came during my placement at Black Cultural Archives, which I completed alongside my MA in Film & Screen Media. Working directly with archival material deepened my understanding of how memory, culture, and identity are preserved through care and intention. During my time there, I created a documentary, "The Devaluation of Black Bodies in Media", using archival materials from the collection, with the ultimate aim of making the collection's materials more accessible to the community. Currently, I continue to investigate my personal collection, moving away from still images into VHS material. I plan to use the knowledge and tools I have gained from my time as a Screen Heritage Ambassador.
Follow Tania Muakuku Elembo’s work:
