There are so many artefacts produced by Yoruba people of Nigera West Africa. The bronzes of Ile Ife are some of the well known ones. These artefacts have multifaceted political, economical and sociocultural implications. Despite these wider implications, they are often shrouded in naratives that tend to validate the supremacy, civilisation and intellectual supremacy of the West instead of substantiating the ingenuity, civilisation and intellectual capabilities of Africa. Have you ever tried to ask why?

The proverbs of the Yoruba people constitute a major part of their culture. Their meaning and interpretations are imporatant and serves as the roadmap to how the people conduct themselves. 

• What are the effects of digital technology in the dissemination of culture?
• Digitisation of cultural values - a myth or reality?
• Can digitised artefacts replace real cultural objects?
• What roles do museums play in using digitised artefacts in place of the real artefacts?
• Original versus counterfeit artefacts:-- a comparison
• Once move into diaspora, can cultural artefacts retains its original values or do they become counterfeit?
• Is dissemination of culture through artefacts a myth or a substitute?

Abstract:

Many museums are using digitisation techniques through modern technology such as the use of both computers and internet to disseminate their collections. This change has been witnessed in contemporary arts as well as some cultural and historical artefacts leaving out those artefacts considered as spiritual and traditional. The idea of digitisation is to boost museum visitors’ numbers as well as aid preservation and conservation of endangered collections. While this has many advantages such as bringing information to wider audience within the comfort of their homes, it also has many challenges and raises lots of questions on values, misrepresentation, interpretation and authenticity of cultural artefacts. Digitised artefacts might then be faced with issues of manipulation, degradation, or some form of deformation that might promote or demote those values targeted at audience. Bearing in mind this likely challenge as well as the fact that whatever is not digitised seizes to be part of history, will it be then considered wise not to digitise traditional artefacts that reflects culture?