The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO), in collaboration with the Cameroonian National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO, and the Photographic Art Pole of Yaoundé, Cameroon, organised a capacity-building workshop in image archiving and preservation techniques for the benefit of photographers. This initiative was carried out under the ICESCO programme for the capacity-building of professionals in the field of culture, arts, and heritage in five African countries, namely, Côte d’Ivoire, the Comoros, Chad, Togo, and Cameroon.

The workshop was organised as part of the celebration program of Yaoundé as the Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022. The launch ceremony, which took place on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, saw the participation of the Secretary-General of the Cameroonian National Commission for UNESCO and ICESCO, Mr. Abdoul-Aziz Yaouba, in addition to several other officials from the Commission, the Ministry of Arts and Culture, and the Photographic Art Pole.

For three days, 27 professional photographers received training in photographic image archiving and preservation techniques with a view of equipping them with the know-how necessary to contribute to enriching and maintaining collective memory. The beneficiaries have also learned about photo library management methods and gained awareness of the importance of contributing to the preservation of national cultural heritage.