Two New Certificate Award Ceremonies for Inscriptions in the Memory of the World Regional Register

The Memory of the World Regional Register for Latin America and the Caribbean (MoWLAC) recognizes documentary collections and holdings of outstanding value to the region, contributing to their protection, visibility, and accessibility for present and future generations.

Between May and August 2026, two certificate award ceremonies were held to recognize inscriptions in the Memory of the World Regional Register for Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting the commitment of institutions from Trinidad and Tobago and Brazil, to the preservation and dissemination of documentary heritage.

The activities were organized by The Alma Jordan Library of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, and by the Municipal Archive of Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, respectively, whose collections and documentary holdings were recognized for their historical, cultural, and regional significance.

These inscriptions reaffirm the diversity and richness of the documentary heritage of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the importance of strengthening institutional capacities for its preservation, accessibility, and promotion, in line with the objectives of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme.

The Alma Jordan Library. The University of the West Indies

On 10 July 2026, The University of the West Indies Alma Jordan Library hosted a special ceremony celebrating the inscription of the collection “Earl Lovelace Manuscripts, 1963-1999” in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Regional Register for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The inscription of this collection in the Regional Register was approved at the XXV Annual Meeting of MoWLAC, held between 10 and 13 November 2025 in Lima and Cusco, Peru.

During the event, Professor Rosemary Bell Antwine, the Campus Principal of the University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine campus, received the certificate, as well as Miss Loveless, daughter of the Trinidadian writer Earl Lovelace.

Earl Lovelace, born in Trinidad and Tobago on July 13, 1935, spent most of his life in the twin-island state pursuing a writing career that resulted in an extensive and distinguished body of work, including novels, short stories, poetry, plays, and essays.

His significant contribution to the development of literature in the Caribbean resulted in no less than 15 awards. Among them are the Chaconia Gold, 1988 (Trinidad and Tobago national award), Commonwealth Writers' Prize (1997), Honorary Doctorate from the University of the West Indies (2002), OCM Bocas LitFest Prize for Caribbean Literature (2012), and CariCon Lifetime Award (2025).

Hodge (2006) states that "by his creative use of the language environment in which he writes, Lovelace has made an unparalleled contribution to the development of the West Indian literary voice." Therefore, scholars are drawn to his work and archive to understand the distinctive narrative techniques that he has created and which Aiyejina (2008) describes as "novelypsos".

His work has generated numerous critical and peer-reviewed publications, dissertations, student projects and discussions.

Historical Municipal Archive of Salvador de Bahia, Brasil

On 18 August, 2026, the certificate award ceremony for the inscription of the collection “Letters to the Senate to his Magesty” in the Regional Register for Latin America and the Caribbean was held at the Makota Valdina Auditorium, in the Public Archive of Salvador.

The event was part of the "Archivo Vivo Salvador" week (Live Archive Salvador), focused on promoting the preservation and dissemination of the documentary heritage of Salvador de Bahía, and organized by the Municipal Secretariat of Culture and Tourism (SECULT), in collaboration with the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) and the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute of Brazil (IPHAN).

During the opening of the ceremony, representing the UNESCO Office in Brasilia, its Director, Marlova Jovchelovitch Noleto, sent an institutional message in video to highlight the relevance of this recognition for Salvador de Bahia.

The Letters from the Senate to His Majesty is one of the most requested documentary sets in the Historical Archive of Salvador de Bahia, as it contains information that complements research in various areas of knowledge, and its unique records allow to delineate historically the initial moments of the centralized administration of the Portuguese crown in Brazil, in Salvador-Bahia, the country's first capital and an important trading post.

The Letters from the Senate to His Majesty, one of the means by which the relationship between the colony and the Portuguese metropolis was established, are characterized as records of letters received and sent (mostly) by the Senate in the years 1640-1889, reporting to the king of Portugal and authorities on daily events in the city of Salvador, such as: the arrival of authorities, the retirement of councilors, requests for land demarcation, matters concerning plantation owners and cattle ranchers in the hinterland, exemption of the clergy from paying taxes.

More news on the event can be found here: