Step by Step Guide – Introducing EMANDULO

Welcome to EMANDULO

This guide was especially designed to help get you started. EMANDULO is an online research platform created to make important resources accessible in a digital format. Most of our resources are pertinent to the five hundred years before European colonialism. The focus of the project is the KwaZulu-Natal region and adjacent areas.

EMANDULO is home to a wide range of materials, including texts, images, excavated archaeological objects, botanical materials, sound recordings, videos, and photographs. Many of our materials come from local and international institutions. These include libraries, museums, universities, and private sources. We also boast a growing collection of rare and early texts published in isiZulu and in other African languages. Our holdings are constantly being bolstered and enriched.

EMANDULO’s team recognises that working with the material has an effect on the material itself. For this reason, EMANDULO makes every effort to make visible curatorial interventions. EMANDULO also takes care to record the custodial histories of the materials it convenes.

Home Page and Registration

Before getting started, take a moment to get familiar with the EMANDULO home page. If you get lost, clicking the EMANDULO logo at the top of any page will bring you back here.

The home page also offers more information about EMANDULO and the research initiative that created it - the Five Hundred Year Archive.

A button in the top right-hand corner of the screen will allow you to register as a user. This will enable you to make contributions and upload your own materials to share with other EMANDULO users.

Once you’ve clicked Login/Register, sign up using your email address. You will then be asked to fill in some personal information. Your account will then be submitted to a moderator for confirmation. You will receive an email once your account has been processed (check your spam folder).

Once you’re logged in, you’ll be able to edit your profile. To submit a resource, scroll half way down the home page until you find the 'Submit' button.

Once you have clicked it, you will be asked to fill in details about the item you are submitting.

Bear in mind that contributions are subject to a moderation process to ensure that they are not racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, or of an ableist nature.

Getting Going on EMANDULO

The home page’s search bar is the easiest way to find specific materials. Users can also scroll down on the home page to see a selection of EMANDULO’s latest Presentations, Archival Curations, and visit the FHYA Depot and the Public Depot.