Oral Histories and Audiovisual Collections

People who have made an important contribution to Egyptian society and culture, or who have interesting life histories to share, are a focus of the library’s oral history program. Interviews have been conducted with prominent and accomplished artists, architects, women’s rights activists, and others. 

Oral histories are also available for members of ethnic, foreign, and religious communities (including specialists in Coptic heritage), and residents of particular areas of Egypt. The latter includes interviews with people living Cairo’s Maadi suburb, weavers in Harrania Village, and with about 70 relocated residents (many elderly) of Qurna village near Luxor, covering their ways of life and that of their community.

The RBSCL also holds the oral history archive of AUC’s Economic and Business History Research Center, with dozens of interviews with leading figures in 20th-century Egyptian business, economics, and politics. 

University on the Square: Documenting Egypt’s 21st Century Revolution is a project-based collection featuring recorded oral histories with participants in and observers of the 2011-2013 protests and political events in Egypt and their aftermath. The more than 400 individuals interviewed include activists, journalists, artists, refugees, and AUC faculty, staff, students, and alumni, coming from diverse personal backgrounds. The project also collected thousands of photographs and artifacts from demonstrations at Tahrir Square and elsewhere. A selection of these and the interviews can be found in the University on the Square section of the Rare Books and Special Collections Digital Library.

The University Archives of the American University in Cairo employs oral history as part of its mission to document the university’s history, people, and contributions. Since 2005, almost 200 faculty, administrators, staff, alumni, and current students have been interviewed, building upon a series of several dozen interviews conducted in the late 1960s and early 1970s, creating an archive of voices extending to AUC’s earliest years, nearly a century ago. Topics covered include the role of women at AUC, student life and activities, the evolution of university structures and academic programs, times of crisis like the 1967 war and later student strikes, and major milestones like the move to the New Cairo campus. These are available in the AUC Oral Histories and Reminiscences section of the Rare Books and Special Collections Digital Library. 

Egyptian and regional heritage is the focus of a number of audiovisual collections held by the library. 

The sound archive of the Voice of America (VOA) radio broadcaster’s Egypt branch features Arabic-language recordings of news and cultural programming dating from the 1970s to 2000s. Content includes news features (largely about Egypt and the Middle East), interviews with prominent individuals in Egypt and the Arab world, and thematic programs providing coverage of topics like women’s issues. Many of the interviews are with leading figures in the arts, like author Naguib Mahfouz, and other features include spoken versions of literary works and music performances. The collection’s almost 2,000 reel-to-reel tapes were digitized with support from a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to produce about 10,000 recording files (containing about a thousand hours of audio) which are available in the Rare Books and Special Collections Digital Library. 

Reel-to-reel films offer outstanding motion-picture documentation of Egypt and Cairo. Dating from the 1920s through the 1980s and produced in both black-and-white and color, promotional films produced by AUC include scenes of Egypt and especially Cairo, depicting monuments and tourist sites, public events, neighborhood life, trades and professions, transportation, and other aspects of daily life. Other reel-to-reel films from the 1950s to 1970s, some of them home movies, depict a variety of scenes from Egypt ranging from Egyptian royalty to the Suez Canal and 1973 October War, as well as leisure and travel scenes of elite Egyptians. The films have been digitized and are available in the Historic Egypt and AUC Films and Videos section of the Rare Books and Special Collections Digital Library.

The Ethnographic and Anthropology Films Collection (1950s-1980s) contains reel-to-reel films, largely related to Egypt and the Arab World, depict topics such as ethnic identity, agriculture and food production, village life, vernacular architecture, and ancient Egypt. The collection has been digitized, but due to the copyright status of the films researchers should contact Archives staff to arrange for access.

Several archival and personal papers collections, such as that of Van-Leo, also include reel-to-reel films, videocassettes, or audio cassette recordings.

AUC history and campus life are the focus of audiovisual holdings of AUC’s University Archives.

Reel-to-reel films show the university from the 1920s through the 1980s, in official promotional productions or those made informally.  These depict faculty and staff, campus scenes, academic activities, student organizations and social activities, athletics, events like commencement, and other aspects of university life. These films (including rare color specimens from the 1930s/1940s) have been digitized and are available in the Historic Egypt and AUC Films and Videos section of the Rare Books and Special Collections Digital Library. 

Videocassette recordings of events held at AUC from the 1980s through the 2000s show commencements, lectures, theater and music performances, and other events at AUC. These VHS tapes have mostly been digitized.