Fradique Lizardo Fonds of Dominican Folklore, 1940-1990

Fradique Lizardo (1930-1997) was one of the most important and prolific folklorists of the Dominican Republic. When he died, he left an immense archive made up of thousands of documents and photographs, hundreds of sound recordings and dozens of ethnographic objects. The entire collection is of immense importance from the cultural and anthropological point of view. For these reasons, the Eduardo León Jimenes Cultural Centre decided to acquire it, and has been working in its organization since 2002, with the formal restoration and cataloguing expertise started in 2008. To date, 4,577 documents have been rescued, including 1,809 newspaper articles; 1,253 research worksheets; 489 manuscripts and 467 pieces of correspondence. Additionally, 935 photographs and 157 ethnographic objects were restored. From the sound collection, one of the most important components of the entire collection, 481 records have been rescued, most from field research on Dominican folk music, ranging from the 1940s to the 1990s. Centro León received two scholarships from the Grammy Foundation to complete this work.
The fonds is comprised of documents, photographs, sound and video recordings in various media that record cultural expressions in their original contexts. Sound recordings, for example, are part of field research. The cultural expressions registered in them belong to specific dates and places that may have changed over time. Records of this type found in the country and throughout the Caribbean region are rare and scarce.
Risks encountered
Environmental issues
Identified risks | Level of risk |
---|---|
Moisture | None |
Temperature | None |
Light (visible light, ultraviolet radiation, etc.) | None |
Dust | None |
Pollution | None |
Pests (rodents, animals, insects, etc.) | None |
Microorganisms (bacteria, mould, etc.) | None |
Management or organizational issues
Identified risks | Level of risk |
---|---|
Lack of maintenance, including cleaning | None |
Inadequate building | None |
Building with structural damage | None |
Lack of an adequate warehouse | None |
Lack of boxes and/or archive materials | None |
Lack of human resources | None |
Lack of security measures | None |
Insufficient budget to operate | None |
Natural disaster risks
Identified risks | Level of risk |
---|---|
Fires | None |
Rains | None |
Mudslides or landslides | None |
Floods | None |
Hurricanes, cyclones, storms | None |
Earthquakes | None |
Tsunamis | None |
Volcanic eruptions | None |
Temperature increase | None |
Political and/or social risks
Identified risks | Level of risk |
---|---|
Armed conflicts | None |
Illegal trafficking of documents | None |
Thefts or robberies | None |
Vandalism | None |
Threatening socio-cultural environment | None |
Lack of support/public policies | None |
Environment (location) issues
Identified risks | Level of risk |
---|---|
Material/storage units | None |
Furniture | None |
Room or warehouse | None |
Building | None |
Site or neighbourhood | None |
Area or region, beyond the neighbourhood | None |
Indicators
Identified risks | |
---|---|
Management Plan | Yes |
Response Protocol | Yes |
Documentary heritage digitization | Yes, partially |
Documentary heritage availability on the internet | Yes, partially |