In this paper, I examine the extent to which Marcien Towa (1931-2014) can be considered the Father of Cameroonian Critical Theory. In this regard, I compare what can be called his social philosophy with the project of a critical theory of society, as outlined by Max Horkheimer (1895-1973). I specifically consider Marcien Towa’s idea of philosophy, which I confront with Horkheimer’s project from the perspectives offered by their sociopolitical premises, conceptual references, and progressive goals. On each of these aspects, I (...) discover sufficient correspondences that allow me to argue that Towa and Horkheimer, who barely knew each other, formulated a somewhat similar claim, namely to provide a critical theory of society, whose aim is not only to understand society but more importantly to change it. (shrink)

The sometimes, selective exclusion by the legislation and the financial houses of the host country, force immigrants of African origin to setup stokvels to sustain their businesses and livelihood in South Africa. Aim: To provide the basis for inclusive policy initiatives, this paper investigated the drivers for the formation of business support stokvels by Cameroonians in South Africa. Method: The paper adopted a mix research paradigm with the survey questionnaire and personal interviews as the tools of choice. The purposive (...) sampling technique was implored to reach the 132 respondents. Results: It was apparent that the participants form stokvels to compensate for the lack of access to finance from formal financial intermediaries. The dire need for startup and later expansion capital drove them to form stokvels and even to belong to multiple stokvels as they strive to improve their chances. Beyond this, stokvels provide the platform for the mobilization of savings and the opportunity to run their own bank on their own terms. Implications: while aligned to the Cameroonian community, other minority groups can draw vital lessons. Beyond this, the paper informs the inclusive finance debate and may therefore be relevant to policy makers and academics. (shrink)

Although immigrants have been found to be particularly likely to engage in entrepreneurial activities in their host countries, very often their ability to do so is restricted by a range of challenges, including having limited access to finances. As a consequence, proactive immigrant entrepreneurs establish informal financial associations, which are known as stokvels in South Africa, in order to compensate for the general lack of available capital for their business ventures. Accordingly, this paper has sought to ascertain the role, which (...) stokvels play in the startups and the growth of Cameroonian-owned businesses, and also the strategies which they employ. A mixed-methods approach was adopted to conduct the study and purposive sampling was employed to obtain a research sample of 123 participants to respond to the survey questionnaire and 10 to take part in one-on-one in-depth interviews. The data was analysed through the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, which generated findings in the form of descriptive statistics. The results suggest that most emerging immigrant entrepreneurs struggle to obtain sufficient startup capital. It also emerged from the findings that stokvels played an equally significant role in providing the capital, which was necessary for the growth of their businesses. On the basis of the assumption that widening access to finance would improve both the startups and the growth of immigrant-owned businesses, the authors of this paper advocate for inclusive policy initiatives, which consider the unique characteristics of the immigrant entrepreneur. In addition, it is hoped that this paper will make a valid contribution to the discourse concerning inclusive finance and be of interest to policymakers and academics. (shrink)

Given the fact that numerous challenges prohibit African immigrants from availing financial capital for the purpose of starting a business in South Africa, this paper sets out to investigate whether those that succeeded experienced a significant increment in their financial capital three or more years after startup. This paper was designed within the quantitative and qualitative research paradigms. A triangulation of three methods was utilised to collect and analyze the data. From a quantitative perspective, the survey questionnaire was utilised. To (...) complement the quantitative approach, personal interviews and focus groups were utilised as the methods within the qualitative approach paradigm. The primary data collection instrument used was the survey questionnaire which was complemented by personal interviews and focus group debates. The results revealed that the majority (71.1%), of African immigrants, had an estimated start-up financial capital in the range of R 1 000 and R 5 000, which tended to vary across the different ethnic groups studied. After three or more years, the estimated financial capital of the majority (39.3%) of the respondents moved to a new range of R 50 001 - R 100 000. Noting a disparity in capital growth exhibited by the different ethnic groups, it was found that all the Ethiopians who started with a capital within the range of R1 000-R5 000 moved into a new capital range (R50 001-R100 000) three or more years after business start-up. Although, the absolute migration in terms of capital demonstrated by the Ethiopian is not in the highest capital range, they were nonetheless the only country that experienced this phenomenal growth. In terms of occupying the highest capital range (R250 001- R500 000) 11.1% of Cameroonians moved into that range followed by 7.4% of Somalians. Using an increase in financial capital (generated by ploughing back profits) as a proxy for growth, we were able to prove that these African immigrant-owned businesses grow and the rate of growth varied across the different ethnic groups studied. (shrink)

Artistic productions, as well as other material products, are reflections of human societies. They are often the support of specific mental and symbolic conceptions and contribute to shaping an immaterial vision of Man and his environment. The Bangou chiefdom located in West Cameroon was no exception to this rule and during the pre-colonial period, it produced notable artworks. However, today it is extremely rare to find testimonies of this past. With the help of primary and secondary sources, we have tried (...) to understand the reasons for this disappearance. Our research shows that it was the Germans who were the first to have damaged the artworks in Bangou at the very beginning of the 20th century. Then, after a beginning of reconstruction, the French government in 1957 burned down the chiefdom which was a major place of conservation of these works. The same phenomenon of destruction will be repeated by the Cameroonian army forces between 1960 and 1961. During this barbarism, the legitimate chief, who guaranteed artistic production, was forced into exile. After presenting the remains of the artistic creation still visible in the area, our article concludes by proposing possibilities for revalorizing this Bangou artistic expression necessary for its development. (shrink)

In his battle against postmodernism, French structuralism appears as one of Nkolo Foé’s main philosophical opponents. It is in this respect that this school of thought is discussed in his book, 'Le Postmodernisme et Le Nouvel Esprit du Capitalisme.' I propose to analyze the genealogy, the concepts, as well as the categories of such a critique, in order to expose it in extension and in intension.