The protection of cultural heritage, Traditional Knowledge (TK), and Traditional Cultural Expressions (TCE) in Cameroon
Beyond the unsettled topical debates on the protection and exploitation of intangible cultural heritage and intellectual property works, Cameroon’s legal arsenal on the issue was anchored on two norms, the 1991 law on the protection of cultural and natural heritage, and annex 7 of the 1999 Revised Bangui Agreement. These pieces of legislature principally dealt with three objects, cultural heritage, natural heritage, and copyright law with the former being restricted to folklore, site, monuments, and ensembles. No references were expressly made to traditional knowledge, associated traditional knowledge, etc. Folklore was instead considered a garbage cane where everything was inserted, literary works,...
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