Les dynamiques discursives et langagières dans l’espace public au Cameroun après l’élection présidentielle de 2018

Abstract

The question of the proliferation of forms of speech in the public space in Cameroon after the 2018 presidential election poses a real problem of social cohesion. This is a question that raises the issue of alternation within the State. Indeed, today as in the past, the idea of democratic alternation has remained at the center of murmurs and political debates. Starting from the question how to understand and explain the production of forms of speech in the public space in Cameroon after the 2018 presidential election, we thought it would be necessary to present the state of play of democracy in this country. From the dictatorial regime of the single party of Ahmadou Ahidjo to the present day, then to present electoralism in black Africa, in order to better grasp the problem raised in this study. The results of this study could lead to extrapolation to other African countries in general and those of French-speaking Africa in particular. The research hypothesis postulates that the discourses produced in the public space in Cameroon are built not only around the desire of the opposition to gain power in a context where political alternation in Cameroon is absent, but also starting from a reaction of the party in power which militates for the preservation of power. Methodologically, this research was conducted using a qualitative and quantitative approach, through its various techniques such as: observation, interview and questionnaire survey. To ensure a good explanation of the results obtained, we have used conflict theory, the theory of public space and the generative theory of Georges Balandier. The processing of information was done by content analysis and statistical analysis. The results of this work have made it possible to understand that several issues explain the production of speeches in the public space by actors.These issues are linked to the conquest of power, the quest for popularity of certain opposition parties and the retention of power by the Cameroon People‟s Democratic Movement (CPDM), the party in power. Our analysis thus allows us to think that a democratic alternation based on the values of transparency and good governance would lead to the development of the political system in Cameroon and beyond that would limit the proliferation of forms of discourse in the public space.