Article Sidebar

Submitted
May 30, 2022
Accepted
January 2, 2023
Published
January 2, 2023
Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 504 Download : 312

Main Article Content

Abstract

The persistence of French neo-colonialism has motivated the emergence of new and very aggressive forms of pan-Africanism in most – nay all – Francophone African countries. Indeed, many Francophobic pressure groups operating in Francophone African countries have sought to resist French neo-colonialism in their countries by mobilizing forms of pan-Africanism, which to a great extent, are xenophobic and disruptive to France’s diplomacy in specific Francophone African countries. In Cameroon, for instance, several so-called pan-African media initiatives, such as Afrique Media, have resorted to a very combative – but professionally problematic – form of journalism called ‘journalism of opinion’ to denounce Western political imperialism and contribute in no small measure, to the fight against Western (and particularly French) neo-colonialism in Cameroon. This paper seeks to illustrate the above phenomenon hinging on secondary sources and critical observations. Specifically, the paper explores indexes of French neo-colonialism in Cameroon and examines how the Cameroonian intelligentsia, in general and specific pan-African media houses in the countries in particular, have sought to combat this French neo-colonialism. 

Keywords

Pan-Africanism Neocolonialism Afrique Media Françafrique Journalism of Opinion Palaver Tree

Article Details

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Floribert Patrick C. Endong

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Author Biography

Floribert Patrick C. Endong, Department of Performing Arts and Cinematography (IBAF), Université de Dschang

Researches and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in cinema, TV studies, theater criticism, visual anthropology.

How to Cite
Endong, F. P. C. (2023). Leveraging Pan-Africanism to Fight French Neocolonialism in Francophone Africa: A Study of the Cameroonian Audio-Visual Media and Intelligentsia . Asian Journal of Media and Communication, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.20885/asjmc.vol6.iss2.art1
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

References

  1. Abmbazonia Prisonniers of Conscience Support Network (2017). History and Context : The Ambazonian Crisis and the African Unending Nightmare of Françafrique. New York: Ambazonia Defence Council
  2. Afrique Media (2014). The War of Afrique Media to Maintain a Pan-Africanist Television. Equatorial Guinea. The Official Web Page of the Government of Equatorial Guinea. Retrieved May 15, 2020 from https://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=5458&lang=en
  3. Al Mariam, N. (2017). Chinese Neocolonialism in Africa: The Dragon Eating the African Lion and Cheetah. Al Mariam Commentaries. Retrieved August 2nd, 2018 fromhttp://almariam.com/2017/09/03/chinese-neocolonialism-in-africa-the-dragon-eating-the-african-lion-and-cheetah-part-i/
  4. Ambazonian Prisoners of Conscience Support Network (2018). History and Context. Retreived June 3, 2019, from https://www.ambazoniapocs.net/node/16
  5. American Historical Association (2016). The Pan-African movement. Retrieved August 2nd , 2018 from https://www.historians.org/teaching-and-learning/teaching-resources-for-historians/teaching-and-learning-in-the-digital-age/through-the-lens-of-history-biafra-nigeria-the-west-and-the-world/the-colonial-and-pre-colonial-eras-in-nigeria/the-pan-african-movement
  6. Atemengue, M. A. (2003), Sortir le Cameroun de l’Impasse, Paris : l’Harmattan.
  7. Athow, B. & Blanton, R.G. (2002). Colonial Style, Colonial Legacies: Trade Pattern in British and French Africa. Journal of Third World Studies (Fall 2002), 1-15.
  8. Azikiwe, A. (2014). Neocolonialism and “Africa’s Relation with the World”. Pan-African News Wire, Retrieved August 24, 2018 from https://www.globalresearch.ca/neo-colonialism-and-africas-relations-with-the-world/5389448
  9. Basiru, S.A., Salawu, M.L. & Adepuju, A. (2018). Radical Pan-Africanisn and African Integration: A Retrospective Exploration and Prospective Prognosis. Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies, 41(1), 103-124.
  10. Boungou, F. (2014). Cameroun: Afrique Media Epinglée – le CNC: des Assises à tout va … Le Messager, October 9th Edition, pp.13-14.
  11. Domatob, J.K. (1988). Sub-Saharan Africa’s Media and Neocolonialism. African Media Review, 3(1), 149-172.
  12. Dougueli, G. (2019). Cameroun: Francophonie et Populisme à la Carte. Jeune Afrique Economique, Edition du 4 décembre, pp.26-27.
  13. Economic Question (2018). The CFA Zone: Neocolonialism and Dependency. Economic Question. Retrieved September 26, 2019 from https://economicquestions.org/cfa-franc-neocolonialism/
  14. Jing, T. (2019). Curricular Issues in Neocolonial Cameroon: A Personal Journey. Journal of Black Studies 50(2), 202-221.
  15. Haag, D. (2011). Mechanism or Neocolonialism. Current French and British Influences in Cameroon and Ghana. Per la Pau: Institut Catala Internacional
  16. Kakang, G. (2017). Cameroun, Afrique Media : L’Enemi Essaye d’Entrer dans la Maison. Cameroun. Camer be. Retrieved May 20, 2020, from http://www.camer.be/64428/30:27/cameroun-afrique-media-laennemi-essaye-daentrer-dans-la-maison-cameroon.html
  17. Kingue, P.E. (2010) Lettre Ouverte de Paul Eric Kingue au Monde libre. Resistance Blog 71. Retrieved May 16,2020 from https://resistance71.wordpress.com/tag/francafrique-cameroun-neo-colonialisme/
  18. Kingue, P.E. (2011). Lettre Ouverte à son Excellence Monsieur le Président de la République. Maire de Njombe : Paul Eric Kingue, Victime d’un Complot Finacier ?,. Infonet. Retrieved May 16, 2010 from http://www.camerounlink.com/files/mairie-de-njombe-paul-eric-kingue-victime-d-un-complot-financier-/42/wid-5
  19. Martin, G. (1984). “African-European Economic Relations under the Lomé Convention: Commodities and the Scheme of Stabilization of Export Earnings.” African Studies Review, 27(3), 41-66.
  20. M’buyinga, E. (n/d) Pan-Africanism or Neo-Colonialism. Conciencism Retrieved August 19, 2019 from https://consciencism.wordpress.com/history/pan-africanism-neo-colonialism/
  21. Makalani, M. (2018). Pan-Africanism. In Mellon E. (ed), Africana Age. African and African diasporan transformations in the 21st century, (pp.1-19), Rutgers: University of Rutgers
  22. Mbamalu, S. (2019). This is Africa Launches #OurContinentOurStories Campaign amidst Demand for Pan-African Media. This is Africa. Retrieved May 15, 2020 from https://thisisafrica.me/africans-rising/this-is-africa-launches-ourcontinentourstories-campaign-amidst-demand-for-pan-african-media/
  23. Mbog, R. (2015). Au Cameroun, la Montée d’un Sentiment Anti-Français. Le Monde Afrique, Edition du 3 juillet, pp.18-22.
  24. Meyer, J.M. (2019). Stephanie Rivoal : « Le Sentiment Anti-Français n’est pas Généralisé ». Le Point, Edition du 20 Décembre, Retrieved May 20, 2020 from https://www.lepoint.fr/afrique/stephanie-rivoal-le-sentiment-anti-francais-n-est-pas-generalise-20-12-2019-2354208_3826.php
  25. Moki, E,K. (2015). Cameroon Shuts Down Offices of Pan-African TV Channel. Voice of America News. Retrieved May 15, 2020 from https://www.voanews.com/africa/cameroon-shuts-down-offices-pan-african-tv-channel
  26. Ndongo, S.S. (2017). The CFA Franc: French Monetary Imperialism in Africa. Review of African Political Economy, Retrieved May 15, 2020 from https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2017/07/12/the-cfa-franc-french-monetary-imperialism-in-africa/
  27. Nkrumah, K. (1965). Neo-Colonialism, the Last Stage of Imperialism. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons.
  28. Oseni, T.A. (2017). Neocolonialism. In Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved August 2nd, 2018 from https://www.iep.utm.edu/neocolon/
  29. Pommerolle, M.E. (2015). Les Violences dans l’Extrême Nord du Cameroun. Le Complot comme Outil d’Interprétation des Luttes Politiques. Politique Africaine, 2(138), 163-177.
  30. Price, R.M. (1984). Neo-colonialism and Ghana’s Economic Decline: A Critical Assessment. Canadian Journal of African Studies, 18(1), 163-193.
  31. Scheid, A.F. (2011). Under the Palaver Tree: Community ethics for Truth-Telling and Reconciliation. Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, 31(1), 17-36.
  32. Shadadah, A. (2009). The Heavy Flag of Pan-African Cinema. African Holocaust. Retrieved August 2nd, 2018 from http://www.africanholocaust.net/media_ah.html
  33. Signé, L. (2017). Innovating Development Strategies in Africa: The Role of International, Regional and National Actors, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  34. Signé, L. (2019). African CFA Franc works as an enabler and barrier to development. Quartz Africa, December 7 edition, pp. 3-8.
  35. Smith, E. (2016). Distorting the News in Africa: How Dictators have Tried to Shape the Media Landscape to their Liking. Centre for International Media Assistance. Retrieved May 15, 2020 from https://www.cima.ned.org/blog/distorting-news-africa-dictators-tried-shape-media-landscape-liking/
  36. Survie (2019). Cameroun, une Poudrière au Cœur de la Françafrique. Paris : Survie.
  37. Survie (2009). France-Afrique: Diplomatie, Business et Dictatures. Paris: Survie.
  38. Tache, J. (2019). Neocolonialism Spurs Ongoing Crisis in Cameroon. Liberation. Newspaper of the Party for Socialism and Libertion, December 14 edition, pp. 8-9.
  39. Takoungang, & Krieger (1998). State and Society in the 1990s, London: McMillan.
  40. Taylor, I. (2019). France a Fric: The CFA Zone in Africa and Neo-Colonialism. Third World Quarterly, 40(6), pp. 1064-1088.
  41. Teno, J.M. (1992). Afrique: je te plumerai [English: "Africa: I Will Fleece You"]. Dir., Prod., & Narr.: Jean-Marie Téno. [Videotape.] California Newsreel.
  42. This is Africa (2019). Save Africa’s Media House for Authentic Stories. Start Some Good. Retrieved May 15,2020 from https://startsomegood.com/this-is-africa
  43. Tirthankar, C. (2019). Les Armées Etrangères en Afrique: Vers une Compétition Stratégique. Afrique, édition du 4 Décembre, pp.34-39
  44. Transparency International Cameroon (2018). Le Fruit de la Discord et sa Saveur Politique Acide. Comment la Banana Alimente la Corruption et la Violation des Droits de l’Homme à Njombe Penja (Littoral Cameroun). Yaoundé : Transparency International.
  45. Vanderpool, D. (2019). What Africa Can Teach the US about Civility. The Dallas Morning News, January 5 Edition, pp. 17-18. Retrieved May 22, 2020 from https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2019/01/05/what-africa-can-teach-the-u-s-about-civility/