Cultural Heritage under Siege: An Ethnoarchaeological Analysis of Boko Haram’s Impact on Traditional Communities in West Africa

Paul-Kolade Tubi

This paper investigates the impact of the activities of Boko Haram on cultural heritage in northern Nigeria and neighbouring regions. Available data show how the sect has been causing severe onslaughts on traditional communities, displacing them and inflicting massive destruction of cultural sites and social institutions. Previous studies have not given attention to ethnoarchaeological analysis of its impact. This study uses an interdisciplinary approach that draws on community narratives and on-site visitations to affected communities, archaeological observations and mapping of damaged cultural sites/settlements, and archival and historical analysis. Importantly, it engages in ethnographic gathering from selected settlements within areas affected by displacement, migration, and cultural destruction due to the activities of Boko Haram. The findings indicate a relationship between insecurity, abandonment of traditional settlements, destruction of sacred spaces, loss of cultural monuments/objects, decline in indigenous craft production, and the erosion of communal identity. It also shows how displaced create new cultural expressions and survival strategies under conditions of conflict in temporary environments. The study demonstrates that the Boko Haram insurgency represents not only a humanitarian and security crisis, but also a significant threat to the continuity of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in West Africa. By integrating ethnoarchaeology with structural conflict studies, this research highlights the importance of community-centered heritage documentation, emergency preservation strategies, and inclusive post-conflict reconstruction policies. The study makes meaningful contributions to cultural heritage under threat, and resilience within African traditional societies, while emphasizing the urgent need for international and regional collaboration in safeguarding endangered indigenous heritage systems.