Digital Humanities (DH) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have globally ushered in new possibilities for data visualisation, archival preservation, and public engagement with cultural heritage. Yet, in the Nigerian context, these epistemological advancement are crippled by inequities in accessibility, infrastructural deficits, and a lack of genuine co-production between DH practitioners and the communities of study. Initiatives such as the Centre for Digital Humanities, University of Lagos, and Archivi.ng have made notable strides, however, their valorisation activities are heavily concentrated in urban centres, with indigenous communities with these histories disconnected from both digital resources and DH awareness. This paper critically interrogates the “town question” in Nigerian DH: how can DH research outputs be made accessible to indigenous communities who are often unaware of these materials, lack digital literacy, skills, and require information in indigenous languages?
Historically, non-professional historians such as Isaac Babalola Akinyele, Chief Samuel Ojo Bada, and Nathaniel Oyerinde were deeply invested in ensuring that African history and cultures were represented authentically through the writing of history in indigenous language; a concern that contemporary African DH has yet to fully address. The uncritical transfer of European DH models to Africa has resulted in a wide gap. This paper is, therefore, grounded in reflexive, problem-oriented research stemming from an ongoing doctoral thesis on “Digital archives, public access and Ekiti Division, Ondo Province, 1914–1960.” The study uses qualitative methodology and draws on both primary sources (such as archival research, and interviews with community members and secondary sources such as books and journal articles. Ekiti Division is chosen for its unique position in Yoruba history particularly the Ekitiparapo War which ended through British intervention in 1886.
Adopting a critical South–South perspective aligned with calls for sustainable African research infrastructures, this paper analyses practical obstacles and the paradoxical situation where communities have access to new media but not to formal digital archives. The paper argues that without moving DH infrastructures closer to those whose histories are being digitised, DH in Nigeria will neither be sustainable nor equitable. The study proposes, among others, the creation of historically verifiable digital platforms, such as dedicated websites or new media spaces for sharing historical data and fostering engagement.