The Transcription Centre in the Sixties

Navigating in Narrow Seas

Bibliographic Data

ID9250296
AuthorsGerald Moore (0000-0001-6170-6646, corresponding author)
Year2002
Volume33
Issue3
Pages167-181
Publication date2002-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueResearch in African Literatures (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0034-5210 • E-ISSN: 1527-2044
PublisherIndiana University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2979/ral.2002.33.3.167
OpenAlexW2021220070
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited2

The Transciption Centre played a part in the diffusion, discussion, and even the creation of African and Caribbean Literatures during a crucial period in their development. It was set up in London in February 1962 and functioned there throughout the rest of the decade. It was funded by the Paris-based Congress for Cultural Freedom, and its offi? cial brief was to record interviews with African or Caribbean writers, artists, and intellectuals, in London or elsewhere. Recordings or transcipts of these interviews were to be made available to radio stations in Africa, the Caribbean, or anywhere else where interest in them was expressed (some went to Germany, Denmark, India, Singapore, and other countries). In practice, however, its activities under its director, Dennis Duerden, proved to be much wider than this; branching out into the making of television films, radio plays, and music recordings, or the sponsorship of art exhibitions, concerts, stage productions, and wide-ranging discussions of many contemporary topics. It became something of an informal club for all blacks artists visiting London and a power house for many of their activities. What exacdy was this Congress for Cultural Freedom, and did all these activities conform with its original intentions in setting up the Centre? To answer these questions it is necessary both to read the Centre's archives, now held at the Harry Ransome Humanities Research Center in Austin, and Frances Stonor Saunders's recent book The Cultural Cold War: The CIA

Linguistics · Transcription (linguistics) · Caribbean history, culture, and politics · History · Philosophy

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