🤖 AI Summary
This paper addresses data bias, corpus scarcity, and digital exclusion confronting African cultural heritage preservation in the AI era. Methodologically, it advocates a paradigm shift from “digital culture” to “culture’s digital,” centering African epistemic agency and advancing decolonized, pluralistic data infrastructures alongside contextually grounded digital literacy frameworks. Drawing on digital humanities, critical AI studies, linguistic modeling, and data governance principles, the study proposes culturally responsive protocols for data collection, annotation, and sharing. Its core contribution is the theoretical proposition that “data is cultural resource”—establishing a foundational framework for advancing African digital sovereignty, enabling equitable AI training through representative datasets, and supporting sustainable, ethically grounded digitization of oral traditions. The work further delivers actionable policy pathways aligned with UNESCO’s safeguarding principles and Africa-led data governance initiatives.
📝 Abstract
In this paper we delve into the historical evolution of data as a fundamental element in communication and knowledge transmission. The paper traces the stages of knowledge dissemination from oral traditions to the digital era, highlighting the significance of languages and cultural diversity in this progression. It also explores the impact of digital technologies on memory, communication, and cultural preservation, emphasizing the need for promoting a culture of the digital (rather than a digital culture) in Africa and beyond. Additionally, it discusses the challenges and opportunities presented by data biases in AI development, underscoring the importance of creating diverse datasets for equitable representation. We advocate for investing in data as a crucial raw material for fostering digital literacy, economic development, and, above all, cultural preservation in the digital age.