In the process of researching the position of our project within the field of other digital projects, we conducted a brief environmental scan. In this scan we identified three projects that have similar functionalities, serve similar audiences, or address similar issues.

The first digital project we examined was Becoming Visible This digital project was created by the Smithsonian Museum and its goal is to highlight the stories of American women (both free and enslaved), so as to preserve them in the archive. The digital project incorporates digital artifacts, text, and narration. It is extremely well done and serves as a great example of how powerful audio narration can be when communicating often forgotten moments of history. It also uses celebrity to gain attention to the project (Rosario Dawson narrates on the project). This is also an avenue that may be worthwhile exploring with our project, as many celebrities have expressed concern over apartheid and like to participate in projects such as this.

The second project we examined is Take A Walk Down Memory Lane. This project reconstructs historic areas of Romeo, MI so that it can be compared with the present. This project was useful as it utilizes similar technology that will be used in our AR tours of Robben Island.

The Contested Memories project is a large-scale virtual reconstruction of a historical location and event. The idea of contested memories could be relevant to the lived memory of apartheid.They are reconstructing a historical location whereas we are doing something slightly different.

CMHR (Canadian Museum of Human Rights) collects and preserves oral histories from around the world to inform its exhibits, programs, and research– often surrounded by historical events and human rights issues, those of marginalized groups and survivors.

Manchester Museum’s South Asia Collective uses oral history to tell the stories of the South Asian diaspora in Manchester.