Oral History and podcast: the “footprints” of audio co-construction and transmission of memories

Abstract

How can oral history contribute to the co-construction and transmission of memories affected by the conflict in Colombia in an audio piece? Around this question, this paper reveals alternatives of audio storytelling for the dissemination to a wider audience, and not necessarily to academics, with the testimonies made through oral history techniques. To this end, we present a balance of sound production initiatives (not necessarily about memory) with a focus in the understanding of the “footprints” of coproduction and transmission in the stories. Then, this text describes the Historias al Aire pilot project, developed by professors and students from the Nacional and Los Andes Universities, in Colombia.

This paper is focused in the understanding of the construction of narratives and argumentations through the edition of voices, sounds and sound effects, and the methodological possibilities of a audio final product for research in the oral history field.