Fradique Lizardo Fonds of Dominican Folklore, 1940-1990


Registration Year: 2014
ID: 103/2014
Institution: Centro Cultural Eduardo León Jiménez

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 risksLevel 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 risksLevel 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 risksLevel 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 risksLevel 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 risksLevel 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