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In this thesis I will trace the shifting representations of post-Independence Cameroon through a detailed analysis of the literary texts of two of its most celebrated writers (Mongo Beti and Calixthe Beyala), and the cinematic production of two of its most innovative filmmakers (Jean-Marie Téno and Pierre Békolo).  Theoretically, this study will be informed by both European and African post-colonial criticism, as well as other recent works of feminism, philosophy, and political theory, and will thereby critically engage with both Western and Afrocentric approaches to Sub-Saharan Africa’s literary and cinematic self-representation. The Cameroonian writers and filmmakers that will be the focus of this project provide an opportunity for a kind of critical dialogue between Western and African post-colonial interpretations of Sub-Saharan African cultural texts.  Starting with the theories of Franz Fanon and Albert Memmi on de-colonisation and the preservation of an authentic African identity, I will look at the question of Cameroon’s cultural and national identity, which is often portrayed as Francophone and yet authentically African, as a useful example of the complex nature of post-colonial Sub-Saharan Africa’s self-perception.  Beti’s works (1953-2000) and their representation of a ‘lost’ Cameroonian nation that must be rediscovered fully display this complexity. The novels of Calixthe Beyala stand in stark contrast to the male-centred representation of Cameroon to be found in Beti’s work.  Her celebration of marginal and dispossessed figures directly addresses the marginalising and exclusionary forces at work in most literary representations of Sub-Saharan Africa.  In this section I will use the key post-colonial concepts of marginality, hybridity, and positionality that have been popularised by Homi K. Bhabha and Gayatri Spivak to assess the extent to which women writers like Beyala have become crucially important to Sub-Saharan Africa’s self conception. Cinema has likewise become increasingly important in Cameroon as a medium of cultural self-representation.  Cameroonian filmmakers have begun to exploit cinema’s power as an effective tool for mass political activism and change.  This has brought about such critically acclaimed films as Téno’s <i>Retours au pays natal </i>(2000), and Békolo’s <i>Le Complot d’Aristote</i> (1996).  In my thesis I will show how these filmmakers respond to the socio-political challenges of Cameroon, and thereby construct a fertile space for dialogical exchange between all producers of cultural texts.  The close analysis of their films will demonstrate the ways in which cinema is inherently bound up with other critical discourses on post colonialism in Africa, and the way in which it is intimately linked to literary concerns in the current period.

AbstractSocio-economic changes have been identified to alter demographic behaviour, most especially fertility desires. Cameroon just like most Sub Saharan African countries started experiencing decline in its fertility rates not too long ago. A couple of factors have been identified to influence women’s childbearing. Education has been pinpointed as one of the pivotal factors that play a role in influencing female fertility desire. Discussion on education in this paper is made in reference to educational attainment. This research had the aim of examining whether education level attainment (i.e. primary, secondary and university) influences women’s desire to have another child in Cameroon. The target group of the study was women who had at least one child, and their ages ranged from 15 to 45 years. To be able to conduct the study the 2011 demographic health survey (DHS) was used. The demographic theory and demand for children concept were used to provide theoretical framework on the topic. The study was based on the contention that the higher the education level of women, the lesser the desire to have children. From the logistic regression performed, the results portrayed that educational level does influence women’s decision to have another child especially for women with primary and secondary education. Women with no education are more likely to want to have another child than women with education. Women with primary and secondary education are significantly less likely to want another child than those with higher education. This result tends to be fall in line to what was expected. The results showed that although education shapes fertility desires, the number of living children, husband employment and household status tend to play more significant role in women’s desire to have another child in Cameroon. Keywords; fertility, Cameroon, female education, demographic health survey, logistic regression

In this thesis I reflect upon a digital mapping project I did in the rural agricultural villages of Bangoua and Batoufam in the Grassfields region of Cameroon. This thesis considers digital mapping as a possible strategy for addressing a current dichotomy in these villages. On the one hand community members express concern over observed shifts in local weather patterns, which they attribute to climate change, and on the other hand community members express desperation for “development.” Of over 130 mapped points, I use this thesis to look at three case studies of community centered development initiatives that address both development and sustainability. In the Water is Life well-building training program, locals are empowered to build water wells, reducing village dependency on foreign teams of experts, which in turn reduces the environmental impact of displacement of these foreign teams and imported materials, and also generally increases the longevity of the water infrastructure by ensuring that local people are able to maintain and repair the system. In the case study of the reforestation project at College Evangélique de Bangoua, reforestation is used as a method for teaching adolescents about the importance of protecting the environment, as well as commerce skills, since the school director has plans to let the students sell the fruits from the trees once they have grown big enough and keep the profits. In the solar panel water system in Batoufam, the local water council challenged the dominant development model for water infrastructure (single-point, manual pump) and designed an extensive network of 10 faucets throughout the village connected to a solar powered electrically pumped well and reservoir. These three examples give hope to the possibility of addressing both climate change and development needs with the same initiatives; however, this process also illuminated the shortcomings of grassroots development. This project uses the mapping process to complicate dominant narratives about top-down and grassroots development. Ultimately, I will propose that this method of digital mapping itself carries potential for addressing the sometimes-polarized desires for sustainability and development.

Thesis (S.T.M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2008. / Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [42]-44).

Abstract Lion populations in West and Central Africa are small and fragmented. In areas where park management is weak, threats will likely facilitate the extinction of the lion. Wildlife management requires knowledge of the population estimate. The population of lions in Waza National Park (Waza NP) was assessed by individual identification of members in the population. The population was assessed to comprise of 14–21 adult individual lions. The age structure was skewed towards adults; cubs comprised 22% of all lions identified while the sex ratio was 1 : 3. Two out of four collared lions were lost to illegal, retaliatory killings within 1 year; and probably two more males and one more female were also killed during this period. The lion population appears to have declined during the last 5 years with six lions dying per year, which is at a much higher rate than observed in the previous decades. Human-livestock pressure has increased tremendously in this period, resulting to frequent human-lion conflicts. To ensure the survival of the lion in Waza NP and in the entire region, management needs to intensify efforts to mitigate the pressure from humans and their livestock.

Through the invitation of the then traditional ruler of Bali Nyonga, the missionaries of the Basel Mission arrived there in 1903. They embarked on evangelisation especially through the opening of schools. They studied the mungaka language, translated the Bible into it and made several other publications. However in the process of translation they concluded in strong terms that the Bali had no notion of a Supreme Being who created heaven and earth. Professors, Bolaji Idowu, Kwame Bediako and others argue contrary to such missionary assertion above, that continuity from the old religion is what gives meaning to the understanding of the new. It is in this light that in this work we seek to explore the Bali Nyonga conception of the Supreme Being. We will also investigate Christian understanding of the God of Israel; whether he is understood only in the light of previous understanding or they consider him to be somebody whom they had never known in their worldview. The researcher begins however with the basic assumption that the new can be understood only in the light of the past. This is because the people have a few sayings, which clearly indicate that their past is so much, cherished. They say for example that Bo ma ni ntun mandzi mfi kui tsed I nden beh [one cannot dig a new road without cutting across the existing road], ntan 'wo' ka gha bun nden ma mi be mbe I ti' la' be nto nkwedkwed [the hawk said it is not good for old people to all die, lest one day people would take them for meat]1. There is also the name Dayebga [one cannot forget his homeland or their compound]. After introducing the work in chapter one, the next chapter presents a historical overview of the context of research. Chapter three explores the conception of God among the Bali Nyonga. The findings of Europeans are first presented followed by the understanding of indigenes. Chapter four considers the encounter between two conflicting worldviews and its consequences as the Gospel and missionaries [two different worldviews] came into contact with the Bali worldview. The next chapter investigates Christian practice and their understanding of God. We have done this by analysing some Church hymns and prayers. Chapter six is a summary of the findings and a theological reflection on the results of the findings. 1 The hawk is not eaten. By this proverb it is considered that if there are no old people to pass on old values the next generation may do things that are digressions from esteemed values. This saying emphasizes continuity. Babila Fochang, Wisdom of the Ancients - Some African Proverbs, Witty Sayings and their interpretations drawn mostly from Bali Nyonga in the North West province of Cameroon, Dschang: Dschang University Press, 2001, p.4 / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.