Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

International Migration: Virtue or Vice? Perspectives from Cameroon

2012; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 39; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/1369183x.2013.723256

1469-9451

Michaela Pelican,

Migration, Refugees, and Integration

Abstract This article argues that both global and national power differences play a crucial role in shaping local imaginaries of international migration among youths in two Cameroonian cities—Bamenda and Yaoundé. While Yaoundé is the national capital, Bamenda is the headquarters of the Anglophone north-west, an area generally opposed to the ruling regime and claiming historical as well as contemporary political marginalisation. Physical mobility has long been associated with social mobility and viewed rather positively. In both areas more critical perspectives on international migration are emerging. This is reflected in differences in envisioned destinations as well as in terminologies and concepts. Thus, in Yaoundé 'the dangers of illegal migration' have become the topic of the day—a theme publicised by international organisations in collaboration with local NGOs. Conversely, youths in Bamenda consciously compare their conceptualisations of the advantages and disadvantages of life abroad on the basis of imparted experiences of migrant family members and friends. These discourses influence not only youths' perception of different forms of migrancy but also their assessment of their future in Cameroon. International migration is thus viewed in a broad discursive spectrum from virtue to vice, and perceptions are shaped by regional, national and international political discourse. Keywords: CameroonMigrationImaginariesNational PoliticsInternational Policies Acknowledgements This paper has resulted from a broader research project on the transnational relations of Cameroonian migrants for which anthropological fieldwork was conducted in Cameroon, Gabon, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates between 2007 and 2011 (Pelican Citation2010, Citation2011a, Citation2011b). Funding was provided by the University of Zurich and the Swiss National Science Foundation. I wish to thank Nina Glick Schiller, Deli Teri Tize and the anonymous JEMS reviewers for valuable comments on earlier drafts. My heartfelt thanks also go to the many individuals and organisations in Cameroon and abroad who shared their visions and experiences with me. Notes 1. For an insightful analysis of local responses to the diversity visa lottery programme in Togo, see Piot (Citation2010). 2. The photo-documentary Kingsley's Crossing by Olivier Jobard accompanies the Cameroonian protagonist on his dangerous journey across the Sahara and the sea to reach Spain and France. Ulrike Westerman's documentary Stronger than Fear explores the sad story of a Cameroonian adolescent who lost his life as a stowaway in a plane to Germany. 3. Certainly, local perspectives on migration are more complex and varied than I can address within the comparative framework adopted in this article. For more in-depth analyses of discourses and practices of international migration in different parts of Cameroon, see Alpes (Citation2011), Bouly de Lesdain (Citation1999), Chappart (Citation2007), Fleischer (Citation2012), Frei (Citation2011) and Hugentobler (Citation2009). 4. Förster (Citation2010) describes the general feeling among youths in Bamenda as being caught in a deadlock, as living in 'a paralysed country'. 5. In a recent article on bushfalling in Cameroon, Nyamnjoh (Citation2011) argues for enriching anthropology through a multi-vocal approach that draws on African fiction as intellectual engagement. To illustrate his case, he integrates ethnographic fiction and popular media (newspapers, magazines, blogs) in his analysis. A similar approach is followed in this contribution. While the two papers evolved independently, there are obvious congruencies. Taken together, they provide an informed understanding of the discourses and expectations associated with bushfalling. 6. The concept of bushfalling has also been discussed in two recent studies on international migration from Cameroon. In her research on the strategies of aspiring migrants in Cameroon's Anglophone south-west, Alpes (Citation2011) pays attention to the role of state, market and family in regulating migration. Fleischer (Citation2012) approaches the subject from the perspective of Cameroonians based in Germany, focusing on the interplay of transnational migration, family formation and legality. A third study that engages with contemporary ideas of mobility and success is Frei's (Citation2011) research on the use of information and communication technology in Bamenda. All three authors provide detailed information on the varied perceptions of bushfalling and migration in their respective research sites. 7. The term been to and its vernacular equivalent woyayie (the one who 'has arrived') are also used in Ghana (Martin Citation2005; van Dijk Citation2002). A similar notion to bushfaller, yet with a much longer history, is jaguar, widely used in Western Africa (Stoller Citation1999, see also the docu-fiction with the same title by Jean Rouch). 8. This Pidgin phrase translates as: 'My friend, what would you do? I ran into the bush'. 9. The documentary Europaland by the anthropologist and filmmaker Balz Andrea Alter provides a rich repertoire of local imaginations of Europe, bringing together perspectives of Francophone and Anglophone youths living in Yaoundé. 10. From an anthropological perspective, the terms 'illegal migration' and 'human trafficking' are highly problematic as they engender a state-centred approach (see e.g. de Genova Citation2002; de Genova and Peutz Citation2010; Khosravi Citation2010; Kyle and Koslowski Citation2011; Kyle and Siracusa Citation2005; Portes Citation1987). At this point, however, I wish to do without a critical discussion, as the term here is used in its local policy application.