South Caribe Roots Archive creates a space for the collective memory of Caribe Sur

Over the past several years, members of the Rich Coast Project team have been collecting historic photographs and oral history interviews from residents of coastal Talamanca. In order to share the fruits of these efforts back with the community, this year we introduced a new endeavor: the South Caribe Roots Archive. 

The South Caribe Roots Archive is a public history project that documents the people, places and events in southern Caribbean, Costa Rica, through family photographs and stories.

The primary objectives of the Archive are to create and mobilize knowledge about this history and identity of area residents, to build bridges and dialogue between academic and non-academic stakeholders using on and offline tools and participatory curation of both digital and physical exhibits, and to create a community-based digital archive that preserves community-identified cultural heritage.

With the support of our partners at the Casa de la Cultura and Libreria Caribe in Puerto Viejo, Rich Coast Project team members and volunteers are seeking contributions of historic photographs and interviews from local residents and past visitors who would like to participate in the documentation of the history and identity of the people who have called the coastline between Cahuita and Manzanillo home. 

Visit the South Caribe Roots Archive on Facebook to see the collections, and follow the project for updates on new contributions and live expositions. Contact us at caribearchive@gmail.com if you'd like to participate.

Presenting the South Caribe Roots Archive during a live exposition on August 30, 2015 at Wolaba Parade. Live music provided by Los Icebreakers at Hot Rocks in Puerto Viejo.