My mom actually sent me this link and it is such an excellent idea that I thought I should share it.
Created to deliver on-demand programming that classrooms or communities can replay continually, the Lifeplayer is an oversized MP3 player that can be pre-loaded to hold 64GB of educational content, can download Internet audio and can record live voice or radio programmes for playback later. With a wireless solar panel and a hand-wound crank, the Lifeplayer can even charge mobile phones. Which means it allows rural communities to cross the digital divide and access vital information.
Buried down at the bottom of the article is a one-liner, which states “even oral histories that are in danger of being lost can be recorded onto the Lifeplayer and saved for future generations.” This is where the potential for its integration into a larger digital heritage project lies. Indigenous knowledge, local histories or folklore and community interviews could be loaded onto the Lifeplayer and listeners encouraged to interact with this content and record their own content. This user-generated content could be uploaded to a central database through the cellular networks and distributed to other communities or made available online.
More on the Lifeplayer here.
They are already working in South Africa. More on their projects here.