Projets de développement et effets sur le mode de vie des communautés locales de Medjoh à l’Est du Cameroun : étude anthropologique

Abstract

This research for the award of a Master's degree in Anthropology with a specialization in development focuses on: development projects and their effects on the mode of life of local communities in Medjoh Anthropological study. Its aims are to understand the emergence of the way of life of the local communities of Medjoh. Indeed, its main motivation is to identify the influence of the various projects initiated in the area on the way of life of local communities. The problem raised is that of the fragility of the way of life of the Badjoué and Baka communities of Medjoh in the face of the effects caused by the development projects initiated in the area. In order to better understand the problem treated and the problem raised, three questions support this work, one main and two secondaries, namely: what are the contributions of development initiatives on the way of life of the communities of Medjoh? From which arise the secondaries: What are the representations of development and development projects that the populations of Medjoh make? How do exogenous or endogenous development projects exert a socio-cultural and socio-economic influence on the way of life of local communities in Medjoh? Given these three questions, three hypotheses emerged, namely as main: the activities of development projects directly or indirectly affect the way of life of the beneficiaries of the locality of Medjoh. Of which the secondary is: the populations of Medjoh have a way of seeing, perceiving, understanding the notions of development and development projects specific to them, which guarantee their failure or success. Development projects have a significant influence on the socio-cultural and socio-economic way of life of the people of Medjoh. From these hypotheses came three objectives, namely as main: To identify the impact of development projects on the way people live in Medjoh. Of which the secondary are: Understand the values or importance given to development and development projects by the communities of Medjoh. Identify and describe the influence of development projects on the way of life of the people of Medjoh. The work for the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data was done in two phases: literature research and field research. The first served to discuss the themes necessary for the proper understanding of this work, and the second, gave voice to the populations and development actors in the locality of Medjoh. The techniques used to collect the data are those of Anthropological science (interviews, direct observation, and focus group discussion). The data was processed by content analysis. And for interpretation we have resorted on the one hand to the theory of functionalism developed by Malinowski and Radcliffe-Brown and on the other hand to that of dependence of Frank Grunder and Samir Amin. At the end of this investigation, it appears that development projects in Cameroon are part of development policies framed by the government and international institutions. In Medjoh, there are a good number of them initiated either by the populations or by external actors. Although it is with a view to improving the living conditions of populations, we cannot neglect the consequent changes they bring to the way of living of populations, hence the birth of new ways of life.