the cameroon press photo archive (cppa) buea in crisis 1955-2016

Since its invention photography in all its ramifications has affected and continues to affect the everyday life of people. It has become a powerful means of communication and mode of visual expression that touches human life in many ways. For example, photography is valued as a means of crystallising memories. One archive which illustrates it is the Cameroon Press Photo Archives - Buea (CPPA-B). The CPPA-Buea was established to use photography as a means of immortalising, conserving and granting access to historical events and personalities in British Southern Cameroons. More than fifty-five years later the institution has not only been in crisis but has been basically abandoned by the authorities in charge. Through qualitative analysis, this paper traces the origin and evolution of the CPPA, its challenges, prospects and ongoing reforms between 1955 and 2016. Keywords: Photo Archives, Photography, Cameroon Press