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
The issue of regional integration has acquired a new relevance and urgency in Africa due to wide-reaching national and global changes. African leaders' commitment to regional economic integration... Show moreThe issue of regional integration has acquired a new relevance and urgency in Africa due to wide-reaching national and global changes. African leaders' commitment to regional economic integration was clearly expressed during the June 1991 OAU summit meeting in Abuja, Nigeria. On that occasion, they signed a treaty to establish an African Economic Community (AEC) by the year 2025. This chapter reviews the various regional integration schemes that came into existence in the aftermath of independence - Union douaniŠre et ‚conomique de l'Afrique centrale (UDEAC), East African Community (EAC), Communaut‚ ‚conomique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (CEAO), ECOWAS, Union ‚conomique et mon‚taire ouest-africaine (UEMOA), Economic and Monetary Union of Central Africa (CEMAC), and Southern African Customs Union (SACU). The chapter explains the reasons for the relative failure of these schemes and examines the consequences of Africa's rapidly changing position in the global economy for regional integration. Show less