Influence of public programming initiatives in promoting living heritage archives among the youth through social media: a case study National Heritage council in South Africa

Abstract

Despite the youth being widely recognised as the future custodians of heritage, yet various scholars concur that awareness and usage of the living heritage archive among the youth in South Africa remain limited. This study explored the role of public programming initiatives in promoting living heritage archives through social media, with the aim of enhancing awareness and usage of these resources at the National Heritage Council (NHC) of South Africa. Guided by the concept of soft power, the study examined how the NHC leverages public programming initiatives to create awareness and encourage engagement with living heritage archives, particularly among South African youth. A qualitative approach, underpinned by a case study research design, was employed using semi-structured interviews, physical observation, and content analysis to collect data. 2020 to 2024/25 annual reports, institutional reports, policies, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), strategic plans, minutes, Annual Performance Plans, and the NHC’s Facebook page were the primary entities of analysis, whereas heritage officers working under the Core Business Programme served as a unit of analysis. Data collected was analysed thematically. The study revealed that while the NHC recognises the importance of public programming initiatives, its efforts to promote living heritage archives on social media remain limited and largely ineffective. As a result, content was shared irregularly, with heritage officers not conducting user studies on their users and potential users, and therefore sharing information that is not appealing to the eyes of the users. Users' comments were also regularly ignored. The study further revealed that the NHC‘s living heritage archives, especially heritage-funded publications, are not open to for the public access, and as such, the NHC drives the users to the authors of the heritage-funded projects instead of drawing them to the living heritage archives held by the organisation. To address these challenges, the study proposes a framework for promoting living heritage archives through social media, offering heritage institutions practical guidance for strengthening awareness and encouraging broader usage of living heritage resources.