The National Archives of Cameroon

Extract

As of July, 1973, the National Archives of Cameroon were located in two offices: a main branch at the capital, Yaoundé, and a second collection at Buea, the former British West Cameroon capital. Both centers are open to researchers during normal government office hours. Access to the Yaoundé collection requires no special formalities for any bona fide academic researcher (manuscript documents are closed to individuals working on their own private economic or legal affairs). To work in Buea it is necessary to have the written permission of the Yaoundé Director of Archives. Documents are considered ‘open’ if they are more than thirty years old. Conditions of work in both centers are reasonably comfortable and pleasant. Relatively few scholars are usually to be found in the reading rooms, and documents are produced fairly rapidly and in generous quantities.

These are all to be found in Buea: they cover the period beginning with the earliest British administration in 1914. Files for the Buea Residency (covering both the Bamenda and the southern regions of former West Cameroon) are well catalogued. Efforts were also being made to catalogue files from subordinate administrative centers. Some material relevant to the British administration of Cameroon is also to be found in various Nigerian archives.