The protection of cultural heritage in Cameroon

Cameroon¿s cultural heritage is currently under threat of extinction due to rising international crimes such as illicit trafficking, illegal exportation/importation, destruction and misappropriation. The famous case of the theft of the AFO Akom god in the South West region and theattack occasioningthe looting and closure of the national museum in 2009 by armed robbers,are cases attesting to the gravity of the situation. This has given rise to the need to study the existing legal and institutional framework of protection of the Cameroonian cultural patrimony and actually assesstheir efficiency.This study therefore based exclusively on Secondary data applied the exegetic and strategic methods of analysis. The approach for the purposes of each is descriptive, comparative and prescriptive. It is descriptive because, it defines the various forms, nature of cultural goods and the violations to which they are increasingly subjected; Comparative because it draws from experiences or approaches (legal, policy and institutional) in other countries to be wild to ascertain the Cameroonian approach and make recommendations.