By Octavio Osorio, Divisional Vice President, Latin America, EMC
Living in a digital world means that there is more information available to ordinary people than we realized a decade ago. However, we all share our countries' deep cultural heritage, much of which originated long before the concept of a digital world even existed.
In fact, since the dawn of humanity, we have used the latest technologies to record cultural history. It has been recorded in works of art, books, audio and video recordings, and stored in museums and libraries around the world. Unfortunately, many of these treasures are in places where they are at risk of decomposition or destruction.
In this moment of electronic advancement, there is an opportunity to digitize content and preserve aspects of our history that might otherwise be lost. This is the foundation of the EMC Heritage Trust program, which funds high-priority cultural projects.
This year's grand prize winner was Universidad Del Rosario in Bogotá, Colombia. The university's historical archive preserves and protects 950 volumes of manuscripts and printed documents from the 17th to 19th centuries, including the royal decrees in which Philip IV of Spain created the institution in 1651.
Despite their great historical importance, some of these original manuscripts were never available for study due to deterioration. With the digitization of these documents, they will be made available for the study of Latin American history, colonial institutions and the formation of educational institutions, among many other subjects.
This action creates the opportunity to initiate projects with other universities and academic centers around the world, as the material will be available to anyone with Internet access. Latin Americans are known for being proud of their culture. We can have endless arguments about who has the best wine, the best food, and the best football team!
Not surprisingly, this part of the world is also actively participating in EMC's Heritage Trust program. Some institutions in the region that have already received support to preserve their assets and make them available worldwide are: Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos in Chile, Teatro Municipal in Chile, and Fundação Chiquinha Gonzaga in Brazil. Whether it's helping us remember past atrocities so they can never be repeated or preserving musical collections, EMC has participated in all of these projects.
I would love to see more institutions from around the world participating in the Heritage Trust program, especially in Latin America! Humanity will only be truly global when we learn to value and protect what makes each culture unique.
EN 
PT 
