Developing a Digital Archive System for Traditional Performance Practices in North East Nigeria

Traditional performance practices in North East Nigeria are at critical risk of loss due to conflict, displacement, and the death of custodian practitioners, and developing a digital archiving system is an urgent professional priority for cultural heritage preservation. This study developed a digital archive system for traditional performance practices in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, and Taraba States, North East Nigeria. A professional system design methodology was applied, incorporating consultations with 18 traditional performance practitioners, 10 cultural heritage specialists, and 8 digital archiving professionals, alongside review of UNESCO digital heritage preservation guidelines and the British Library digital archiving model. Assessment of existing resources confirmed near-total absence of systematic digital documentation for performance practices in all six states. The system designed specifies a metadata framework for performance documentation, community consent protocols for sensitive sacred performances, multi-format documentation standards (video, audio, annotation), open-access and restricted-access tiering for different categories of cultural material, and training requirements for community documentation volunteers. Cloud hosting architecture compatible with intermittent connectivity in North East Nigeria is specified. Expert review by nine cultural heritage and digital archive specialists confirmed the system's technical adequacy. The study recommends implementation through the North East Development Commission with UNESCO technical assistance, prioritising documentation of the 40 most endangered performance traditions identified in the assessment phase.

Keywords: digital archive, traditional performance, North East Nigeria, cultural heritage, preservation