Lost in Digital Translation: Forging a Common Approach to Technology in a Cross-Cultural Saharan Archives Initiative

In the fall of 2024, a political scientist and an archivist from Seton Hall University embarked on a project to survey, and ultimately digitize the archives of the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi government in exile. This government is a co-founder of the African Union, a consultative member of the Socialist International, and is recognized by the United Nations as the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people—and yet its records are almost inaccessible, kept in their original formats in a repository in a refugee camp near Tindouf, Algeria—a location difficult if not impossible for most researchers to visit. The Sahrawi government prioritizes and supports the preservation of its records, which range from early archeological artifacts to photographs, documents, and audiovisual recordings documenting the Western Sahara conflict which began in the 1970s. They were open to partnering with Seton Hall on the digitization project in order to raise awareness of their history and current struggle. However, one of the main barriers to the project’s success turned out to be Sahrawi archivists’ leeriness of using standard digital tools. This reluctance originates in difficult experience where copies of their materials were made and distributed without authorization. Building consensus around the technological approach to the project of digitizing the materials emerged as a crucial precursor to undertaking the work of the project. More than just a methodological stumbling block, it represents in microcosm a process of building trust and creating habits of communication and coordination.