Due to the unique difficulties of studying hunter-gatherers in an archaeological context, researchers have been attempting to create accurate models to understand these contexts for decades....Show moreDue to the unique difficulties of studying hunter-gatherers in an archaeological context, researchers have been attempting to create accurate models to understand these contexts for decades. Although many schools of thought have emerged from this work, one of the most promising has been Optimal Foraging Theory, which attempts to model the optimal subsistence behaviour in a given context using environmental and anthropological data as inputs. One of the major limitations of Optimal Foraging Theory is that it requires a broad base of accurate data on the costs and benefits of different subsistence activities in order to create precise models. To help address this problem, we used hip-worn Triaxial Accelerometry to estimate relative energy expenditure during specific subsistence-related activities among the Baka of southeastern Cameroon. Our results demonstrate that hunting activities among the Baka involve significantly more movement than gathering or agriculture, implying more energy expenditure, while gathering and agricultural activities involve roughly similar levels of movement. Through the analysis of other variables, we also found that men perform significantly more movement than women when periods of rest are not included. However, there is no significant difference between these values when periods of rest are included. Furthermore, there are no significant differences in the average movement performed per unit time (including or excluding rest), or in the proportion of time spent at rest, between villages.Show less
This thesis aims to capture the causes of the Anglophone Conflict tracing back its roots to colonial legacies and the process in which Cameroon was decolonized. Next to this, this paper aims to...Show moreThis thesis aims to capture the causes of the Anglophone Conflict tracing back its roots to colonial legacies and the process in which Cameroon was decolonized. Next to this, this paper aims to analyze how the crisis has evolved from a political dispute to a national crisis. This thesis will shine light on the complex political landscape in Cameroon where assertive action in favor of secession is currently present. Furthermore, it will analyze the systematic attempts to create a unitary Cameroonian state by the hegemonic Francophone regime through dismantling and removing the identity of Anglophone Cameroonians, which purloins the nation of the ability to nation-building. The year 2017 marked the start of unprecedented repression by the Biya regime of the Anglophone population in the Southwest and Northwest regions of Cameroon. What precisely led to the escalation of this conflict which we now know as “The Anglophone Conflict?Show less
Microfinance is considered one of the most important financial tools for the inclusion of the informal sector of developing countries in global finance. However, its empirical implications on the...Show moreMicrofinance is considered one of the most important financial tools for the inclusion of the informal sector of developing countries in global finance. However, its empirical implications on the financial, economic and social level of society are often under-researched, especially in Cameroon, a developing country in West-Central Africa. Therefore, this thesis will show that the financialization of the informal economy, especially in Cameroon, undergoes three steps: firstly the financial one, in which communities living in informal economies are approached by financial institutions offering microcredit, secondly through the economic one, in which microcredit is invested in informal business activities to regulate and formalize them, and finally through the social one, in which the economic power gained through the enhanced businesses is reflected on an empowerment of under-promoted categories, and on an improvement in education and healthcare, given the increased accessibility of funds to afford them.Show less
Language is a complex abstract notion, which helps in shaping particular identities in the process of nation-state building. However, many other variables play a role in the development of...Show moreLanguage is a complex abstract notion, which helps in shaping particular identities in the process of nation-state building. However, many other variables play a role in the development of individuals identifying as a collective group bearing the same identities. For example, a unique legacy of colonialism in Cameroon is the nation’s division along the Country’s two official colonial languages: English and French. This division has been the source of a recurring pattern of political conflicts between the Anglophone and Francophone. Many scholars narrate colonialism as a link in the creation of two major linguistic identities in-groups through the post-colonial languages. Consequently, the official post-colonial language situation translates into a conflict of division between linguistic groups of belonging, which leads to politics of identity regarding the case of British Cameroon. This results to seeking sovereignty in order to attain the right of self-determination. In order to shed light on British Cameroon’s choice of constructing an Anglophone identity in relation to their regions, this thesis examines the position of post-colonial languages as a tool in re-negotiating social identities, in order to change the present condition of English-speaking Cameroonians. It traces the historical and socio-linguistic emergence of specific pressure groups and activists, who took radical measures in the forming of the Anglophone identity in the space of Cameroon.Show less
This thesis will provide a basic phonology and orthography of Bano’o. Bano’o is one of three dialects that are part of Batanga. Bano’o is spoken along the south-west coast of Cameroon. The first...Show moreThis thesis will provide a basic phonology and orthography of Bano’o. Bano’o is one of three dialects that are part of Batanga. Bano’o is spoken along the south-west coast of Cameroon. The first section of this thesis describes the process of data collection. Following the data collection, the thesis will present a basic phonology of Bano’o, with focus on vowels, consonants and tone. Subsequently the thesis will concentrate on syllable and word structure. The last part of the thesis contains a brief orthography of the language.Show less
