In order to raise awareness globally on issues pertaining to preserving audiovisual material, such as sound recordings and moving images, October 27th is celebrated as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (WDAH). The day was chosen by UNESCO in 2005 to create awareness regarding the importance of films, sound and video recordings, radio and television programmes.
There are several objectives put forward by UNESCO regarding WDAH – Raising public awareness towards preservation, Provide opportunities to celebrate local works, National or international aspects of the heritage, Highlight the accessibility of archives, Attract media attention to heritage issues, Raise the cultural status of audiovisual heritage and Highlight audiovisual heritage in danger, especially in developing countries.
Given the fact that sound recordings and moving images are extremely vulnerable to destruction, especially neglect, decay and technological obsolescence the World Audiovisual Heritage Day could help raise awareness among the public towards these issues.
