Africa in Memory (AIM) welcomes contributions from individuals, communities, researchers, institutions, organizations, and other knowledge holders across Africa and the world.
Contributors may submit records, claims, distinctions, milestones, people, places, events, institutions, cultural heritage, achievements, and other documented information relevant to Africa.
Submission helps expand Africa’s documented memory and preserve knowledge that might otherwise remain fragmented, inaccessible, disputed, or forgotten. Public submission does not imply endorsement, verification, certification, or approval by Africa in Memory (AIM).
Who Can Submit
Anyone may submit a record, claim, milestone, distinction, or documented information relevant to Africa.
Contributors do not need to be the owner, holder, beneficiary, or subject of a record. A person may submit information relating to another individual, institution, community, place, event, or achievement provided the submission is made in good faith and supported by available information.
What Can Be Submitted
Examples of records that may be submitted include:
- People and personal achievements
- Historical milestones
- Cultural heritage and traditions
- Geographic distinctions
- Scientific and technological developments
- Educational contributions
- Economic and institutional achievements
- Significant places and landmarks
- Important events and documented occurrences
- Measurable records and distinctions
- Competing or alternative claims relating to existing records.
- This list is not exhaustive.
Submission Does Not Create Ownership
Submitting a record does not make a contributor the owner of that record.
Record ownership remains with the legitimate holder, subject, institution, community, or entity associated with the achievement or distinction.
Contributors are recognized for helping document and preserve information, while ownership and certification remain attached to the record itself and its rightful holder.
What Happens After Submission
Every submission enters AIM at the Submitted stage and becomes part of the public registry..
Multiple contributors may submit similar, overlapping, competing, or conflicting records. AIM preserves submissions as part of Africa’s documented memory and evaluates them through its review process.
Some submissions may progress to Under Review, Reviewed, Verified, or Certified status. Others may remain submitted, be classified as not reviewable, unverifiable, disputed, superseded, or not supported depending on available evidence and AIM standards.
Submission Does Not Guarantee Progression
Recognition of Contributors
Not every submission advances through the AIM process. Some records may remain permanently at the Submitted stage, while others may be reviewed, verified, certified, disputed, or determined to lack sufficient supporting evidence. AIM preserves submissions even when they do not progress further.
AIM recognizes the value of contributors who help identify, document, and preserve African records.
Where appropriate, AIM may acknowledge original submitters and contributors as part of a record’s documented history.
Contribution recognition is distinct from record ownership and certification.
Contributors receive recognition for their role in documenting Africa’s memory. However, official AIM certification is awarded to the rightful record holder, individual, institution, community, or entity associated with the verified achievement, not necessarily the person who submitted the record.