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Proposer l’adoption de la procédure de phytoremédiation des sites de déversement d’hydrocarbures au Cameroun nécessite des arguments scientifiques vérifiés. L’objectif principal de cette thèse est de (i) faire une étude floristique des sites de déversement anarchique de produits pétroliers au Cameroun, (ii) tester les potentialités de phytoremédiation de quelques espèces végétales sur des sols contaminés au fioul domestique, (iii) évaluer l’effet de différentes concentrations d’hydrocarbures sur la morpho-anatomie et la physiologie des plantes, (iv) modéliser le transfert sol-plante des HAP. Les prospections floristiques des sites de déversement d’hydrocarbures menées dans 4 villes du Cameroun ont permis d’identifier 106 espèces appartenant à 76 genres et 30 familles ; dont seules 15 espèces sont qualifiées de polluo-tolérantes. Les expérimentations ont permis de montrer que toutes les 3 espèces (C. dactylon, E. indica et A. sessilis) sont impliquées dans les processus de rhizodégradation des HCT et HAP ; E. indica and C. dactylon ayant favorisé une meilleure phytoextraction de quelques HAP comparé à A. sessilis. La modélisation mécaniste du transfert sol-plante des HAP a confirmé ces observations. La tolérance aux HAP est plus accrue chez E. indica et C. dactylon par rapport à A. sessilis. La culture mixte de E. indica et C. dactylon est très impactée par les HAP. En culture seule, le ralentissement des processus physiologiques de C. dactylon dans les sols pollués n’a pas d’impacts majeurs sur ses capacités phytoremédiatrices. Ceci permet donc de recommander C. dactylon pour la gestion durable des sols pollués par les hydrocarbures dans le monde entier en général, et au Cameroun en particulier ; pour des pollutions de sols n’excédant pas 33500 ppm. / To propose the implementation of phytoremediation process to clean up oil spill sites in Cameroon requires verified scientific arguments. The main objective of this thesis is to (i) carry out a floristic study of anarchic oil spill sites in Cameroon, (ii) test the phytoremediation potential of some plant species in soils contaminated with fuel oil, (iii) evaluate the effect of different hydrocarbon concentrations on morpho-anatomy and plant physiology, (iv) modelling the soil-plant transfer of PAHs. Floristic surveys of oil spill sites carried out in 4 Cameroonian cities have identified 106 species belonging to 76 genera and 30 families; amoung which 15 species are qualified as polluo-tolerant. Experiments have shown that the (C. dactylon, E. indica and A. sessilis) are involved into rhizodegradation of TPHs and PAHs; E. indica and C. dactylon having promoted a better phytoextraction of some PAHs compared to A. sessilis. Mechanistic modelling of the soil-plant transfer of PAHs confirmed these observations. Tolerance to PAHs is higher for both E. indica and C. dactylon than A. sessilis. The mixed cropping of E. indica and C. dactylon is highly impacted by PAHs. Cropping alone, the slowing down of C. dactylon's physiological processes in polluted soils does not have a significant impact on its phytoremediation potentialities. This makes it possible to recommend C. dactylon in the sustainable management of hydrocarbon-polluted soils worldwide in general, and particularly in Cameroon; for soil pollution not exceeding 33500 ppm.

The purpose of this work is to measure the degree of intelligibility of native and non-native English speech as well as analyse the major sources of intelligibility failure when speakers of these varieties of English interact. British and American English (henceforth BrE and AmE) and Cameroon English (hereafter CamE) are used as a case study with focus on segmental and supra segmental features. The study was motivated by a number of concerns, several of which are more prominent: First, it was motivated by the trepidation scholars like Gimson (1965, 1980); Prator (1968); etc. nursed that the unprecedented spread of English across the globe and the emergence of non-native varieties would cause English to disintegrate into mutually unintelligible languages, in the way Romance languages devolved from their Latin ancestor. The second motivation was that previous researchers (Bansal 1969, Tiffen 1974) on intelligibility have often concentrated their efforts on the traditional approach, which sees intelligibility from a one-sided perspective. To them, the non-native varieties of English are deficient and not different varieties from the native varieties. They were seen as substandard, incorrect, and unintelligible and thus needed remediation at all costs. The native varieties were seen as prestigious, correct, intelligible and the sole norm that must be emulated by non-native English speakers. In this way any interaction between a native speaker and a non-native speaker should be characterised by the non-native speaker making all the efforts to be understood as well as to understand the native English-speaking partner. This explains in large part why these researchers concentrated on measuring the intelligibility of non-native speech to native speakers and never vice versa. It was as if it was treasonable to measure the intelligibility of native speech to non-native speakers. Even if some researchers managed to do this, the comments that followed such data still showed that the aim was not to test the intelligibility of native speakers but to find out how efficient the non-native speakers were in understanding the native speaker. Another aim could also be to reinforce the teaching of the native norm, which was seen as “correct” against non-native features, which were seen as “incorrect”, to measuring intelligibility. While accepting that these studies reflected the conventional wisdom of the time, this study aims to move the debate forward by looking at intelligibility from a two-sided perspective. It sees communication between speakers of different varieties as a game of give and take, where both participants “tune in” to make the process successful rather than one participant being obliged to make all the efforts because s/he speaks a new English variety. That explains why we are testing not only the intelligibility of non-native speakers to native speakers but also native speakers to non-native speakers. / Gegenstand der vorgelegten Promotionsarbeit ist die Untersuchung der gegenseitigen Verständlichkeit von muttersprachlichem und nicht-muttersprachlichem Englisch. Im besonderen werden die Hauptquellen und Ursachen des Scheiterns von Verständlichkeit in einer empirischen Studie bestimmt, klassifiziert und analysiert. Die Untersuchung wird exemplarisch anhand des Kamerunischen Englisch einerseits und des Britischen und Amerikanischen Englisch anderseits vorgenommen. Motiviert ist diese Arbeit vor allem durch folgende Punkte. Erstens bedarf es der Auseinandersetzung mit den durch eine Reihe von Autoren geäußerten Befürchtungen (z.B. Gimson 1965, 1980 und Prator 1968), daß die Herausbildung und Entwicklung neuer Varianten des Englischen letztlich zu einer Auflösung des Englischen in gegenseitig nicht mehr verständliche Sprachen führt, ein Prozeß, wie er sich historisch bei der Entstehung der romanischen Sprachen aus dem Lateinischen vollzog. Derartige Befürchtungen werden genährt durch die bisher ohnegleichen fortschreitende Verbreitung des Englischen über den gesamten Globus. Hier ergibt sich die dringende Notwendigkeit vergleichender Studien zur gegenseitigen Verständlichkeit zwischen den bestehenden Varianten. Zweitens folgen die meisten zu diesem Thema vorliegenden Untersuchungen im wesentlichen einer traditionellen, überkommenen Grundperspektive: die nicht-muttersprachlichen Varianten des Englischen werden als „abweichend“ bzw. sogar „defizitär“ aus Sicht der muttersprachlichen betrachtet, nicht aber als eigenständige Sprachformen (z.B. Bansal 1969; Tiffen 1974). Dies führt nach Auffassung des Autors zu einer einseitigen Betrachtung und Bewertung. Im besonderen wird in der sprachlichen Interaktion bei einem solchen Zugang die Last zu verstehen und für den Kommunikationspartner verständlich zu sein einseitig dem nicht-muttersprachlichen Sprecher übertragen. Auf diesem Hintergrund untersuchen die vorliegenden Studien anderer Autoren primär die Verständlichkeit nicht-muttersprachlicher Sprachformen für den muttersprachlichen Sprecher, nicht jedoch die umgekehrte Konstellation. Wenn die umgekehrte Perspektive überhaupt berücksichtigt wird, so zeigen die Kommentare, daß nicht die Verständlichkeit muttersprachlicher Sprecher für den Nichtmuttersprachler eigentliches Ziel und Gegenstand der Untersuchung war, sondern vielmehr die Frage, wie effizient sich Nichtmuttersprachler beim Verstehen muttersprachlicher Äußerungen zeigten. Des weiteren stehen diese Studien oft im Kontext des Bestrebens, im institutionalisierten Spracherwerb die muttersprachlichen Normen gegen die nicht-muttersprachlichen Merkmale durchzusetzen, die als „nicht korrekt“ angesehen werden. Diese Positionen, der zugrundeliegende Zugang und die einseitige Ausrichtung bedürfen einer kritischen Auseinandersetzung.

The aim of this thesis is to describe the changes of bird species diversity along elevation gradient on six mounts in Cameroon and nearby Bioko island. The results of the analyses confirm most of the defined hypotheses, especially they show that species diversity declines with altitude and rises with area. Cluster analysis shows the similarity of individual mountains in particular altitude zones. Despite the original hypothesis, mount Cameroon is found to be most similar to mount Kupé, although high mountain assemblages of mount Cameroon and Bioko island are very alike as well. The absolutely highest diversity was detected on mount Cameroon and mount Kupé, but above 2100 m above sea level mounts Oku and Manenguba are the most diverse. The results of this thesis contribute to a clearer notion about factors influencing species diversity; however, more thorough data (particularly from mount Nlonako) and data extension for e.g. bird abundance would enrich the study and it would enable us to perform more detailed diversity analysis, especially an analysis of competition relationship among species. Key words Species diversity, Cameroon, bird assemblages, elevational gradient

Des enquêtes ethnobotaniques généralistes réalisées de 2009 à 2014, dans 4 départements de la région de l’Ouest Cameroun, ont permis de collecter 561 plantes utilisées en médecine traditionnelle. L'évolution sur le terrain a été la méthode utilisée. 4 plantes ont été sélectionnées : Terminalia avicennioides, Crossopterix febrifuga, Vitellaria paradoxa et Afzelia africana. La préparation des extraits à partir des écorces du tronc a été réalisée en présence de solvants de polarité croissante (CH2Cl2, MeOH et MeOH/H2O). Une activité anti-inflammatoire in vitro a été observée pour les extraits MeOH/H2O et les décoctions de C. febrifuga, T. avicennioides et V. paradoxa avec une inhibition de la production de NO de plus de 60 % à 10µg/ml. Tous les extraits d’A. africana, ont montré une inhibition de la production de NO > 8O% mettant en évidence une activité anti-inflammatoire élevée. A partir de ces résultats et compte tenu du manque de données phytochimiques, A. africana est choisie pour la suite du travail. A partir de l’extrait méthanol d’A. africana, 13 composés ont été isolés et identifiés : 9 flavonoïdes et dérivés (dihydrokaempférol, kaempférol3-O-néohespéridoside-7-O-rhamnoside, 2R,3R-trans-aromadendrine-7-O-β-D glucopyranose-6″-(4 hydroxy-2‴-méthylènebutanoate), taxifoline-7-O-β-D-glucoside, sinensine, isosinensine, lutéoline, catéchine, dunnianoside D, glucoside phénolique) et 4 lignanes (lyoniside, nudiposide, ssioriside et alcool trans dihydrodéhydroconiférylique). Ces composés sont isolés pour la 1ère fois dans l’écorce du tronc d’A. africana. Du fait de l’activité anti-inflammatoire élevée de la décoction, un gel a été envisagé pour application par voie locale. / Ethnobotanical surveys were carried out from 2009 to 2014, in four divisions located in the western region of Cameroon. One method was used to collect the data. The evolution on the ground. Finally 561 plants were collected. Among the plants listed, four were selected: Terminalia avicennioides, Crossopterix febrifuga, Vitellaria paradoxa and Afzelia africana. The extracts were prepared from the stem bark of selected plants in the presence of solvents of increasing polarity (CH2Cl2, MeOH and MeOH/H2O). Anti-inflammatory activity was observed for MeOH/H2O extracts and decoctions of C. febrifuga, T. avicennioides and V. paradoxa with inhibition of NO production more than 60% at 10 μg/ml. All extracts of A. africana showed significant inhibition of NO production > 80%, indicating a high anti-inflammatory activity. On the basis of these results and given the fact that few studies had been carried out, Afzelia africana was chosen for the further work. From the methanol extract of A. africana, 13 compounds have been isolated and identified: 9 flavonoids and derivatives ( dihydrokaempferol, kaempferol-neohesperidoside-7-O rhamnoside, 2R,3R-trans-aromadendrin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranose-6″-(4‴-hydroxy-2‴-méthylènebutanoate), taxifolin-7-O-β-D-glucoside, sinensine, isosinensine, luteolin, catechin and dunnianoside D). 4 lignans ( lyoniside, nudiposide, ssiorisid and : trans -dihydrodehydroconiferyl alcohol).All these compounds are isolated for the first time in the stem bark of Afzelia africana.Due to the high anti-inflammatory activity of the decoction an initial development of the decoction was considered with the development of an anti-inflammatory gel for local application.

E Nord-Cameroun comme toutes les zones arides et semi-arides de l’Afrique subsaharienne est confronté à la désertification qui est causée par les aléas climatiques et la surexploitation des ressources naturelles. L’une des conséquences est la baisse des rendements des cultures due à la dégradation des sols cultivables. Dans cette situation, l’une des voies pour améliorer le niveau de vie paysan est de développer la plantation des ligneux à usages multiples. L’introduction de l’A. senegal dans les années 90 dans les exploitations agricoles avait l’optique de restaurer la fertilité des sols et de diversifier les sources de revenus des agriculteurs par la production de gomme arabique. Malgré la multifonctionnalité de cet arbre et les efforts des projets pour sa vulgarisation, les résultats et les réactions des populations pour sa plantation restent peu concluants et sélectifs. La thèse identifie et analyse les facteurs socio-économiques et leurs effets sur la décision paysanne à planter A. senegal. La méthode est basée sur les enquêtes et entretiens semi-directs. Les résultats montrent que la plus grande production en gomme obtenue par une exploitation est de seulement 50 kg/ha/an. Toutefois les recettes des ventes éventuelles des autres produits des plantations complètent celles de la gomme. Les planteurs n’ont pas tous disposé d’information ni de formation suffisantes. Une plate forme de concertation est à mettre en place pour redéfinir les rôles des acteurs de la filière gomme. Pour une gestion durable des plantations d’A. senegal, les projets de développement et les décideurs doivent faire respecter les normes de différentiation des prix de la gomme. / The North Cameroon like all arid and semi-arid zones of African sub-Saharan is facing desertification caused by climatic factors and over exploitation of natural resources.One of the consequences is the decline of crop yields due to degradation of arable land. In this situation, promotion of multipurpose trees plantations can improve the farmers’ livelihood. The introduction of A. senegal in the 90’s in agricultural farms had the aim to restore soil fertility and diversify sources of income for farmers through the production of arabic gum. Despite the multifunction aspect of this tree and the involvement of different development projects for its extension, the results and reactions of local people to its plantation remain inconclusive and selective. The thesis identifies and analyzes the socio-economic factors and their effects on the farmers decision to plant A. senegal. The method is based on surveys and semi-structured interviews. The results show that the best gum yield observed on the exploitation is 50 kg / ha / year. However, the revenue can be increased with the sale of byproducts of A. senegal. Not all farmers are sufficiently informed or trained. A platform for dialogue is to be set in order to redefine the roles of stakeholders in the market chain. For the sustainable management of A. senegal plantations, development projects and policy makers need to meet the standards of gum price differentiation.

Le présent travail porte sur l'hypothèse de la constitution d'un espace public avec le développement des débats télévisés au Cameroun. Il s’appuie sur un corpus de 227 émissions de Canal presse et Droit de réponse de 2012 à 2017 et sur des entretiens semi-directifs réalisés auprès des acteurs-invités et de présentateurs des débats télévisés. Les résultats obtenus révèlent que la constitution d’un espace public de débats télévisés camerounais est marquée par des logiques de « concurrence-coopérative » entre acteurs sociaux hétéroclites, et où la polémique émerge comme registre de prise de parole dominant qui gouverne les stratégies de mise en visibilité. Les résultats rendent également compte des dynamiques d'occupation de l’espace public des débats télévisés. Sur ce point, ce travail montre que les débats télévisés se formalisent autour d’un contrat de communication qui favorise l’accès majoritaire/prioritaire de certaines catégories d’acteurs, à l’instar des journalistes, des opérateurs politiques, des universitaires, des hommes de droit (avocats), des entrepreneurs de l’humanitaire et de la société civile. Enfin, les résultats de ce travail indiquent que les débats télévisés s’apparentent à des espaces de production de soi durant lesquels les stratégies de légitimation du discours, la recherche de légitimité et la captation du public s’enchâssent. L'originalité de ce travail réside dans le dépassement de la thèse habermassienne sur l'espace public. Ceci dans la mesure où l'espace public camerounais apparaît comme un enjeu pour la communication de l'État qui s'en sert pour y diffuser des informations gouvernementales, pour y dépêcher les médiateurs, pour normaliser les échanges dans une perspective de démocratisation et d'échange populaire. / The present work deals with the hypothesis of the constitution of a public sphere with the development of televised debates in Cameroon. It is based on a corpus of 227 issues of Canal Presse and Droit de réponse from 2012 to 2017 and on semi-structured interviews with invited actors and presenters of televised debates. The results obtained reveal that the constitution of a public sphere of Cameroonian televised debates is marked by "competitive-cooperative" logics between heterogeneous social actors, and where the controversy emerges as register of dominant speech which governs the strategies of visibilisation. The results also reflect the dynamics of the occupation of the public sphere of televised debates. On this point, this work shows that the televised debates are formalized around a communication contract which favors the majority/priority access of certain categories of actors, like the journalists, the political operators, the academics, the men of law (lawyers), humanitarian entrepreneurs and civil society. Finally, the results of this work indicate that televised debates are like self-production spaces during which the strategies of legitimation of discourse, the search for legitimacy and the capture of the public are embedded. The originality of this work lies in the surpassing of the Habermasian thesis on the public sphere. This insofar as the Cameroonian public sphere appears as an issue for the communication of the State that uses it to disseminate government information, to send mediators, to normalize the exchanges in a perspective of democratization and popular exchange.

ABSTRACT Female genital mutilation and circumcision (FGM/C) is an expression that describes social and traditional actions performed for the removal of the clitoris and inner lips; labia minora as well as part of the outer lips; labia majora. The research has addressed the effects of this action on women in Ejagham community of the Southwest region of Cameroon. The study focuses on effects revealed during the research, including voices of the women who had undergone FGM/C, excisors recount, violence against women physical, psychological, social, and sexual effects.  In traditional African societies, cultural values should be upheld with dignity to humankind. Our traditional practices too, need to give honour to our bodies. Therefore, opinions from different groups within the Ejagham community are revealed in the discussion. More so, the study also found out that FGM/C was a practice performed on the girls and women on the cultural and traditional beliefs that the process signifies a rite of passage from girl to womanhood.  The process caused pain and violated the right of the young girls. The findings revealed that there are divided opinions on FGM/C within the community. Custodians of the Ejagham tradition that are in favour of the practice are conflicting with those who are against the practice on medical and human right justifications.  These different platforms play a prominent role in the various perceptions held by the people. A significant segment of the Ejagham community, together with some representatives of the international community, NGOs and the government of Cameroon are involved in efforts to bring about change in the community by eliminating the tradition through community-based awareness programs. These programs that are accessible by everybody has empowered people in the community with knowledge on the subject and provided the necessary resources that will help in eliminating the practice. The efforts have initiated a changing climate in the community; however, this does not yet mean that the tradition has been abolished. The paper shall also discuss the traditional and cultural reasons for the practice of FGM in Cameroon. The author will state International instruments, Conventions, the National laws, Action plan that is to eliminate or lead to the abandonment of FGM practices in Cameroon.  The paper will conclude with suitable suggestions to eradicate the practice of FGM/C, which is against Human Rights. Keywords: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, Human Rights, Ejagham, Community, Cameroon / <p>Comments from the Examiner have been included in the thesis</p> / Master in Peace and Development WorkABSTRACT Female genital mutilation and circumcision (FGM/C) is an expression that describes social and traditional actions performed for the removal of the clitoris and inner lips; labia minora as well as part of the outer lips; labia majora. The research has addressed the effects of this action on women in Ejagham community of the Southwest region of Cameroon. The study focuses on effects revealed during the research, including voices of the women who had undergone FGM/C, excisors recount, violence against women physical, psychological, social, and sexual effects. In traditional African societies, cultural values should be upheld with dignity to humankind. Our traditional practices too, need to give honour to our bodies. Therefore, opinions from different groups within the Ejagham community are revealed in the discussion. More so, the study also found out that FGM/C was a practice performed on the girls and women on the cultural and traditional beliefs that the process signifies a rite of passage from girl to womanhood. The process caused pain and violated the right of the young girls. The findings revealed that there are divided opinions on FGM/C within the community. Custodians of the Ejagham tradition that are in favour of the practice are conflicting with those who are against the practice on medical and human right justifications. These different platforms play a prominent role in the various perceptions held by the people. A significant segment of the Ejagham community, together with some representatives of the international community, NGOs and the government of Cameroon are involved in efforts to bring about change in the community by eliminating the tradition through community-based awareness programs. These programs that are accessible by everybody has empowered people in the community with knowledge on the subject and provided the necessary resources that will help in eliminating the practice. The efforts have initiated a changing climate in the community; however, this does not yet mean that the tradition has been abolished. The paper shall also discuss the traditional and cultural reasons for the practice of FGM in Cameroon. The author will state International instruments, Conventions, the National laws, Action plan that is to eliminate or lead to the abandonment of FGM practices in Cameroon. The paper will conclude with suitable suggestions to eradicate the practice of FGM/C, which is against Human Rights. Keywords: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, Human Rights, Ejagham, Community, Cameroon

The aim of this thesis is to describe the changes of bird species diversity along elevation gradient on six mounts in Cameroon and nearby Bioko island. The results of the analyses confirm most of the defined hypotheses, especially they show that species diversity declines with altitude and rises with area. The absolutely highest diversity was detected on mount Kupé and mount Cameroon, but above 2100 m above sea level mounts Oku and Manenguba are the most diverse. Other analysis showed that the biggest changes in beta diversity of bird assemblages along altitudinal gradients are on the lowest elevational belts which are on the edges of a degraded habitats and continuous undisturbed forests. Other important changes in bird assemblages happen around altitude 1200 m, where the assemblages of lowland rainforest change to assemblages of mountain forest. Analyses of affinity of bird species to forest habitat showed that the most affined assemblages to the forest are those found on mounts Kupé and Rata. On the other hand bird assemblages on mounts Manenguba and Oku are the one of least affined to the forest biotope. Analysis of habitat generalism and specialism did not show the expected outcome and for clearer results the design of analysis needs to be improved. The results of this thesis contribute to a...

Cette version de la thèse a été tronquée de certains éléments protégés par le droit d’auteur. Une version plus complète est disponible en ligne pour les membres de la communauté de l’Université de Montréal et peut aussi être consultée dans une des bibliothèques UdeM / Cette thèse traite de la musique dans le contexte d’une diaspora émergente comme moyen privilégié de favoriser l’appartenance et la convivialité ; elle porte sur les associations culturelles montréalaises fondées par des immigrants en provenance des Grassfields. À travers l’histoire de cette région densément peuplée du Cameroun, les arts musicaux menés au sein des associations locales ont constitué un mécanisme important dans la construction de la cohésion sociale et dans l’expression d’une culture commune, façonnée par des relations interculturelles et par le déplacement continuel de sa population entre les nombreuses chefferies. La division coloniale des Grassfields entre zones linguistiques anglophones et francophones mène à la fusion des conceptions endogènes de l’« unité dans la diversité » caractérisée par le projet d’intégration nationale de l’État camerounais postcolonial ; ce dernier cherche toujours à gérer sa diversité ethnique considérable à travers des initiatives de « développement culturel ». Depuis l’indépendance du pays, la croissance d’une diaspora Grassfields à Montréal a favorisé l’organisation d’activités musicales dans le cadre d’associations et de leurs événements culturels. Ceci a permis de souder les liens entre mondes rurale et urbain, de poursuivre des idéaux de pluralisme et de solidarité, et de négocier les héritages divergents issus à la fois de conflits et de coopérations ayant marqué cette zone historiquement marginalisée. Comme les migrants venant des Grassfields des deux côtés de l’ancienne frontière coloniale constituent un pourcentage important d’immigrants récents à Montréal, leur héritage musical commun continue d’être exploité au sein des associations comme moyen d’aborder de nouvelles relations interculturelles au profit de leur adaptation aux idéologies pluraliste des sociétés québécoises et canadiennes. En reliant cette participation historique aux associations musicales à des exemples spécifiques tirés des communautés Grassfields anglophones et francophones de la diaspora camerounaise de Montréal, nous démontrons comment la participation aux associations continue d’encourager des rôles de leadership parmi ses membres mélomanes grâce à leurs capacités à faciliter des expériences de solidarité et de convivialité à travers les festivals et rituels de cycles de vie, solidifiant ainsi leur statut et la réappropriation des idéaux locaux et nationaux d’unité, tout ceci dans un contexte culturellement validé. / This thesis looks at the musical activity of Montréal’s Cameroonian Grassfields cultural associations as a favoured means of fostering belonging and pursuing conviviality in an emergent diaspora. In the history of this densely populated area of Cameroon the musical arts in the context of associations have been a central mechanism in the mediation of social cohesion and a defining characteristic of a common culture shaped by intercultural relationships and the constant movement and exchange of its population between its many constituent chiefdoms. The subsequent colonial division of the area into Anglophone and Francophone linguistic regions would ultimately lead to the merging of an indigenous conception of “unity in diversity” with the post-colonial Cameroonian State’s national project that continues to be defined by a preoccupation with the integration of its considerable ethnic diversity through “cultural development” initiatives. With the growth of a “domestic” Grassfields diaspora since Cameroon’s independence, the organization of musical activity in the context of associations and their cultural events has continued to provide Grassfielders the means to maintain rural-urban linkages, pursue ideals of pluralism and solidarity and navigate the divergent legacies of conflict and cooperation that have marked this historically marginalized area. As Grassfields migrants from both sides of the former colonial border have made up a significant percentage of recent Cameroonian immigrants to Montréal, they have continued to harness their shared history of participation in musical associations as a means of consolidating new intercultural relationships and adapting their activity to fit the ideologies of pluralism of Québecois and Canadian society. By linking the history of Grassfields musical association in Cameroon to specific examples from both the Anglophone and Francophone Grassfields communities of Montréal’s Cameroonian diaspora, we demonstrate how musical associations have continued to afford leadership roles to their most musical participants through their capacity to facilitate the solidarity and conviviality of life cycle rituals and festivals, recreating culturally validated modes of status acquisition by deploying their musical skill and experience in the pursuit and reappropriation of local and national ideals of unity.