This chapter examines the opposition of Bakweri chiefs in Anglophone Cameroon to the government announcement, on 15 July 1994, of the privatization of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC),... Show moreThis chapter examines the opposition of Bakweri chiefs in Anglophone Cameroon to the government announcement, on 15 July 1994, of the privatization of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), one of the oldest and largest agroindustrial parastatals of the country. The chiefs claimed Bakweri ownership of CDC lands and felt betrayed at not having been consulted about the privatization of CDC. The chapter demonstrates that the current resistance to CDC privatization is part of the chiefs' long-standing struggle for the return of the vast Bakweri lands that were expropriated during German colonial rule and, later, leased by the British Trust Authority to the newly created CDC. In this endeavour, the chiefs have always been supported by the Bakweri 'modern' elite. This alliance of 'modern' and 'traditional' elites has forced the government to postpone the privatization of CDC and to enter into negotiations with the original landowners. Notes, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract] Show less
This chapter examines the deteriorating relations between autochthons and allochthons in the coastal forest area of anglophone Cameroon, present-day South West Province. This province is one of the... Show moreThis chapter examines the deteriorating relations between autochthons and allochthons in the coastal forest area of anglophone Cameroon, present-day South West Province. This province is one of the few regions along the West African coast where a plantation economy was established during the German colonial period (1884-1916). The plantation economy stimulated large-scale labour migration to the coastal estates, particularly from the other anglophone province, North West Province. Following large-scale settlement of northwestern migrants in the South West, the 'autochthonous' population began to resent their increasing domination in demographic, economic and political terms. The present chapter examines why the current obsession with the autochthony-allochthony issue in South West Province relates foremost to relations between inhabitants of the two anglophone provinces. The South-West elite's fear of renewed North-West domination during the political liberalization of the 1990s was one of the main reasons for their incitement of the autochthonous minority against the dominant and exploitative northwestern settlers. Includes bibliographical references, notes, and summary. Show less
Managements of tea estates have often given preference to female labour over male labour, on the assumption that women were 'naturally' more suited to plucking tea. They also were thought to be... Show moreManagements of tea estates have often given preference to female labour over male labour, on the assumption that women were 'naturally' more suited to plucking tea. They also were thought to be cheaper and more docile than men. In this chapter the author focuses on women pluckers at the Tole Tea Estate, one of the estates in Cameroon owned by the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC). The estate was constructed in 1954 and marked a turning point in the history of the CDC. It was the first estate in Cameroon to produce tea and the first estate to recruit predominantly female labour. The author first examines what categories of women tended to sell their labour power to the estate management and how this relates to customary patriarchal controls in the local communities. Then he highlights the intensification of managerial control and exploitation of women pluckers during the economic crisis that has affected the corporation since 1986-1987. Finally, he deals with the response of women pluckers to this severe crisis, showing that they have adopted various strategies to cope with the structural adjustment measures which have been planned and implemented by the management in close cooperation with the State-controlled trade union. What emerges from this study is that even during the economic crisis the management has failed to fully control the women pluckers in the labour process. Show less
This study shows that the neoliberal project propagated in the 1990s by the Western donors and the international financial institutions has not yet made much progress in Cameroon. It argues that... Show moreThis study shows that the neoliberal project propagated in the 1990s by the Western donors and the international financial institutions has not yet made much progress in Cameroon. It argues that this is not surprising, given the class character of the Cameroonian postcolonial State. The limited political reforms introduced by the Biya regime in 1990, especially the legalization of multipartyism, seem not to have stimulated economic liberalization, but rather to have further eroded the authoritarian and patrimonial State's capacity and willingness to undertake economic reforms. The experience of Cameroon suggests that there is no automatic linkage between political and economic liberalization. Show less
Contract farming schemes associated with agro-industrial enterprises have been of a more limited scope in Cameroon than in several other Third World countries, and largely unsuccessful. The... Show moreContract farming schemes associated with agro-industrial enterprises have been of a more limited scope in Cameroon than in several other Third World countries, and largely unsuccessful. The Cameroonian experience with contract farming therefore poses an interesting challenge to modernization theorists who have tried to impress upon Third World governments that an expansion of contract farming schemes might boost peasant productivity and living standards. In this case study the experience of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) with various forms of contract farming is evaluated. Two periods are distinguished: the period of contract farming preceding the World Bank scheme (1946/1947-1977/1978), and the period from the implementation of the World Bank scheme to 1987 (1977/1978-1986/1987). This evaluation of the CDC smallholders' schemes provides some of the principal reasons for the rather limited and unsuccessful experience with contract farming in Cameroon. Firstly, there is the rather ambiguous attitude of the government and CDC management towards smallholder development. Secondly, there is the precarious dependence on commodity prices on the domestic and international markets. Thirdly, there is the problem of establishing control over the schemes. Feeling exploited, the participants opposed managerial efforts to gain control over production and exchange. They regularly engaged in a variety of modes of resistance. Note, ref Show less
Most of the papers included in this volume were presented at a symposium held at Uppsala University, Sweden, in August 1987. An introduction by A. Jacobson-Widding and W. van Beek on the theme... Show moreMost of the papers included in this volume were presented at a symposium held at Uppsala University, Sweden, in August 1987. An introduction by A. Jacobson-Widding and W. van Beek on the theme developed in the book, African folk models of fertility, is followed by three parts: I. Fertility from above, fertility from below (A. Jacobson-Widding on the fertility of incest; J.-P. Jacob on the Winye Gurunsi of Burkina Faso; J. Zwernemann on the Kasena, the Nuna (Burkina Faso, Ghana), and the Moba (Togo, Ghana); R. Devisch on the Yaka (Zaire); G. Dahl on the Borana (Kenya); M. Udvardy on the Giriama (Kenya); 2. Fertility from the wilderness (J. Hultin on the Macha Oromo (Ethiopia); P. Brandstr”m on the Sukuma-Nyamwezi (Tanzania); T. H†kansson on the Gusii (Kenya); K. rhem on the Maasai (Kenya, Tanzania); 3. The fertility of social communion (P. Baxter on the Oromo; A.-I. Berglund on the Zulu (southeastern Africa); L. Brydon on the people of Avatime in Ghana; W. van Beek on the Dogon (Mali) and the Kapsiki (Cameroon); M. Whyte on the Nyole of Uganda; and P. Riesman on the Fulbe and RiimaayBe of Burkina Faso) Show less
Pour analyser les diverses formes d'éducation au Cameroun, les responsables de cet ouvrage collectif, qui comporte 31 articles différents, ont fait appel à vingt-cinq spécialistes d'origine et de... Show morePour analyser les diverses formes d'éducation au Cameroun, les responsables de cet ouvrage collectif, qui comporte 31 articles différents, ont fait appel à vingt-cinq spécialistes d'origine et de discipline diverses. Vingt-huit articles du recueil sont classés en trois parties, respectivement consacrées aux savoirs traditionnel, coranique et moderne. A l'aide de deux articles, l'introduction générale situe à la fois le sujet et le pays, en faisant le bilan critique de la recherche africaniste en éducation et en posant le problème linguistique. Une revue récente des problème de la scolarisation en Afrique par le directeur camerounais du Centre national d'éducation conclut le recueil. Show less
Dans cette esquisse le groupement kapsiki du Nord Cameroun et le groupement higi du Nigéria ont été considérés comme une seule ethnie. Leur histoire ne peut être qu'une synthèse des histoires... Show moreDans cette esquisse le groupement kapsiki du Nord Cameroun et le groupement higi du Nigéria ont été considérés comme une seule ethnie. Leur histoire ne peut être qu'une synthèse des histoires villageoises, en l'absence d'une tradition générale pour toute l'ethnie. Elles ont été simplifiées dans ce compterendu, l'intérêt de l'auteur se portant surtout sur les premières migrations qui ont créé les villages. Un résumé de l'implantation de la population est suivi de quelques remarques sur les plantes cultivés et la commerce, et une évaluation des traditions orales. Show less
