Unveiling Southeast Asian Musical Data in Europe with the Pratinada Platform

Colonial-era sound recordings from Southeast Asia remain largely housed in European archives, historically inaccessible to the societies from which these archives come. The Pratinada website addresses this colonial legacy by democratizing access to collectionsheld in France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. This online portal consolidates multiple European-held Southeast Asian sound databases, making thousands of historical recordings publicly available. However, the digital repatriation process raisescomplex cultural, ethical, and technological considerations that warrant careful examination.