Cultural Festivals as Living History: The Role of Traditional Events in Cameroon’s Tourism Development

Abstract

This article examines cultural festivals in Cameroon as dynamic expressions of living history and evaluates their contribution to tourism development. Unlike studies grounded in primary fieldwork, this research adopts a qualitative, desk-based methodology relying on secondary data, policy documents, academic literature, and tourism reports. The study explores how traditional festivals function as repositories of collective memory, identity, and intangible cultural heritage, while also serving as strategic assets in the tourism economy. Drawing on cultural heritage theory and sustainable tourism frameworks, the paper analyzes selected festivals across Cameroon’s cultural regions, including the Grassfields, Coastal, and Northern zones. Findings indicate that cultural festivals play a crucial role in preserving indigenous knowledge systems and enhancing destination attractiveness. However, their tourism potential remains underexploited due to infrastructural deficits, weak institutional coordination, limited global promotion, and concerns over cultural commodification. The study contributes to the literature by providing a theoretically grounded and comparative analysis of festival tourism in Cameroon, highlighting the intersection between heritage preservation and economic development. It recommends strengthening cultural policies, improving infrastructure, and adopting community-based tourism strategies to ensure sustainability and authenticity in the promotion of cultural festivals.