As you may collect from this newsletter, we continue engaged and active. The last semester has seen many developments take place with many more to come. We would like to emphasize the importance of the Third International Meeting of Oral History entitled  "Rescuing our Peoples’ Memory", held in February in Nicaragua. The workshops demonstrated the interest and maturity that Oral History's has reached throughout Latin America. The South American continent continues to develop and delve deeper into the field of Oral History. The remaining Oral History meetings due to take place this year in Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina and Mexico provide ample proof of the growing interest.

We also wish to highlight the important work, projects and research studies being carried out in Spain aimed at raising attention on the Civil War of 1936 and the ensuing Francoist repression. We have established a panel to raise national awareness among all our international peers of the various initiatives underway to enrich this reassessment and reconstructive experience in historical memory. Our UK colleagues, led by Alicia Pozo-Gutiérrez and Padmini Broomfield, are also carrying out “Los Niños" project with memories of children refugees from the Spanish Civil War. Also from Europe, Italy announced the second annual meeting of Oral History on the theme of memory, work and labour and the International Congress of Genoa.

In this issue, we also include Laura Benadiba’s interesting interview with Guillermo Clarke, Program Coordinator of the Oral History Archives for the Province of Buenos Aires who describes the pioneering Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Oral History Project aimed at recovering a traumatic memory, organized in protest. Oceania remains one of the vibrant leading areas in the world of Oral History. The XVI Congress of the Oral History Association of Australia has been slated for next September in Tasmania.

The USA and Canada continue to host many Oral History projects and programs. The American Association of Oral History announces in this issue their conference to be held at Louisville, Kentucky, from October 14 -18, 2009. The Oral History Association of Canada is also continuing its pioneering work in publishing journals in digital formats.
Finally, we would like to thank all the IOHA collaborators for submitting informational items and especially the reviews of recently published books. This dynamism keeps us all up to date.

If you are planning to hold an Oral History event, have attended an interesting conference, launched or completed a noteworthy project, developed archives, literature or found any Internet sites of interest, please let us know. We count on you to make this an effective means of sharing information on Oral History across the globe.

Juan José Gutiérrez (English text) - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Miren Llona (Spanish text)- This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Co-editors, IOHA News

In these times of global economic crisis and financial problems for almost everyone, I believe that solidarity among peoples is essential. As a result of its international scope, our Association can help forge bonds of solidarity that move beyond political disputes through teaching and research related to oral history.

During times of limited resources, we should take better advantage of the enormous possibilities that the Internet offers. Increasing communication between IOHA members, disseminating information through our website and sharing resources online are just a few examples of the possibilities.    In this respect to this, I encourage everyone to actively participate in the IOHA through our website. I particularly welcome members to participate in open debates, such as the one started by Sean Field on the role of oral history. New initiatives that help researchers using Oral History methodology should also be encouraged.

The bulletin, as you can see, has become a useful tool for sharing information and meetings organized by associations , seminars and other groups. From these pages, I would like to thank the editors Juan José Gutierrez and Miren Llona, as well as bulletin's translators.

The organization of the IOHA conference in Prague in July 2010 is moving forward. Thanks to the ongoing dedication by members of the Czech Committee, Vanek Mirek, his team from the Czech Association of Oral History (COHA) and with the support of IOHA council members, we now have a working website for the conference: www.ioha2010prague.cz . In Prague, our colleagues also have had to overcome problems created by current economic difficulties. As a result, changes have been made in the venue location of the Conference and the maintenance of the website, which has resulted in some delays in finalizing conference details. Despite these small setbacks, I am convinced that the next conference will be a tremendous success. From these pages, I encourage everyone to submit both paper and panel proposals for the Conference which will be the meeting point for our association.

In relation to conference, the Council's Grant Commission has already drafted the financial support application for those who do not have the financial means to attend the Conference. These funds are limited in number and amount.

Finally, I encourage everyone to submit paper and panel proposals in English or Spanish for our upcoming conference.  This event is an important event for the exchange of ideas, but also a biennial meeting place for our association. I also wish to remind everyone that the IOHA website grows with everyone's participation and is open to your suggestions.

Pilar Domínguez This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
IOHA President