Paper short abstract:

There is an exceedingly rich but less consensual iconographic route to sourcing and reconstituting the social history of the Nso in Cameroon.

Paper long abstract:

Recent decades have undressed a flourishing interest on photography as an expression of meanings beyond images. This study examines the centrality of photographs as repository of social memories in the Nso Fondom of Cameroon. The research based on qualitative analytical method, relies on primary (mainly oral) and secondary sources. The findings reveal that, the incredible photo archives of amateur, private and state sponsored photographers as well as unclassified host of pictures in different locations in Nso and beyond, stands as classic historical evidences to reconstitute the social memory of the Nso people. While the photographs quickly represent meaningful social performances within the Nso community, their interpretations sometimes do not convey the same narratives. The paper seeks to find out why in spite of visible photographic evidences, pictures still do not enjoy consensual appropriation with regards to placing meaning in time and space. Beside these interpretative worries, the study is also concerned with the choices photographers make in capturing social scenes and how these representations are later reproduced to align with the original imaging ideas.