Digital Preservation Strategies in West African Cultural Heritage Contexts: A Cameroon Case Study in the Digital Age

Digital preservation in cultural heritage contexts is increasingly recognised as essential for safeguarding irreplaceable information and artifacts from natural disasters, climate change, and unauthorized access. A qualitative study employing semi-structured interviews and document analysis to explore practices within selected Cameroonian museums and archives. Digital preservation efforts have shown significant variability across institutions, with some adopting robust strategies involving cloud storage and regular backups while others rely solely on local servers. Despite varying levels of digitalization, all institutions identified the need for interoperability between systems to ensure seamless data management and accessibility. Cultural heritage organizations should prioritise cross-institutional collaboration in digital preservation efforts and consider investing in cloud-based solutions to enhance security and scalability.