Locals are encouraged to visit the National Archives to tap into the historically rich sound archives and acoustic collections available there.
The call was made at a workshop, where experts in the field shared knowledge on how to better raise awareness and promote sound collections.
The National Archives of Namibia is home to a large collection of sound archives and acoustic collections.
Those who are interested are encouraged to make a turn and listen in.
"We are missing out on our own history. For example, we have a lot of pioneers of the liberation struggle, some of whom are no more and some of whom are still alive, especially those who are no more. You have never heard what their voices sound like. Did you read in history books that there was Hosea Kutako? How was his sound? His voice, for example? You also need to come here and access this recording to know what inspires their bravery. What fueled their heroic deeds?" asked Ndamian Hangula, Senior Archivist at the National Archives of Namibia.
Dr. Immaculate Mogotsi had the opportunity to transcribe some of the sound recordings from back in the day, and she says Namibians can learn a lot from the past if only they make the time.
"If we can be listening to our ancestor, who in 1945 was saying their employee conditions are not conducive or they're not being treated well as workers before the debate comes on in 2023, we air it and we get the conversation going. Many a time when you are in a shoe, we think that shoe pinches you the hardest and is sore, but until you realize there were others before you in that shoe and the pain they experienced is the same that you are going through now, maybe instead of continuing along the journey to solve the problem, they have lived it for 70 years, so maybe let's try it a different way now."
The National Archives of Namibia, like most other institutions, is not immune to budget constraints.
Even though Namibia is talking about the 4th Industrial Revolution, thousands of audio recordings are still stored in analog format.
The manpower and equipment needed to digitize the material are said to cost a lot of money. This includes updating some of the museums.
Tuuda Haitula is a development officer at the Museums Association of Namibia. "We wanted to set up a sound dome whereby if you walk into a specific gallery, then you specifically hear music that is in that gallery alone, but finances couldn't allow for us to purchase even one sound dome to put it in one gallery."