With this project, we want to gather data that will help us to build the new catalogue of the IsIAO Photographic Archive, and to foster an informed, thoughtful discussion. Some images may be upsetting to individuals and communities directly or indirectly affected by the events depicted.
Con questo progetto vogliamo raccogliere informazioni utili per creare il nuovo catalogo dell’Archivio Fotografico IsIAO e favorire una riflessione aperta e consapevole. Alcune immagini potrebbero risultare difficili o dolorose per persone o comunità coinvolte, direttamente o indirettamente, negli eventi rappresentati.
This project has been built using the Zooniverse Project Builder but is not yet an official Zooniverse project. Queries and issues relating to this project directed at the Zooniverse Team may not receive any response.
Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Help us to describe the images of Italian colonialism preserved in the IsIAO Photographic Archive.
Learn moreChoose one of the following groups of images, observe the photographs, and answer the questions!
In this project, you can dive into two different photo groups (workflows) both regarding the Eritrea.
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Colonial Eritrea, the schools – here you can contribute by telling us more about the places, people, and buildings pictured, or by adding your own descriptions.
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Eritrean schools, transcriptions – in this workflow, you can help us by transcribing the words and numbers found on the back of the photos, and sometimes even on the front.
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Photographic Collections of Italian Colonialism (1861–1960) Statistics
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Help us to better understand this legacy, find the words to describe it, and "return" it in a form that, if not entirely "correct," is at least conscious.
Photographic Collections of Italian Colonialism (1861–1960)About Photographic Collections of Italian Colonialism (1861–1960)
A photograph does not speak for itself—especially when it carries a complicated past. It is not an unquestionable archival document, nor is it simply a “cold” proof of reality. Most of the images preserved in the IsIAO Photo Archive are complex objects that have changed meaning and form many times over the course of their long existence. They can spark memories, prompt new analyses, lead to discoveries, and (re)connect ideas, people, and events.
These photographs were originally collected by a colonial institution, sorted, and classified according to the needs of colonial propaganda. As a result, the (rare) captions that accompany them are often racist, offensive, or misleading.
The project now presented on Zooniverse seeks to return the IsIAO photographic collections to the public, inviting participation that goes far beyond simple description. With the well-known five W’s of journalism, our goal is not to train artificial intelligence, nor to conduct a sociological or linguistic survey. Instead, we aim to gather essential information while also opening a critical space for reflection on this material.
The “IsIAO Photo Library” is housed in the “IsIAO Library,” located in the African and Oriental Collections Room of the National Central Library in Rome. It preserves the largest photographic archive on Italian colonialism, inheriting materials from the Colonial Museum of Rome, a cultural institution with a propagandistic mission that was part of the former Ministry of the Colonies.
Produced with the educational support of the Dicolab. Cultura al Digitale project, promoted by the Ministry of Culture – Digital Library as part of the PNRR Cultura 4.0 program, implemented by the National School of Cultural Heritage and Activities, and funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU.