Growth in an Afiican Plural Sodety

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Growth in an Afiican Plural Sodety A.I.D. Evaluation Special Study No. 15 THE PRIVATE SECTOR: - EWdty,Individual Initiative, And Economics Growth In An Afiican Plural Sodety:- - The Badeke Of Camemon ETHNICITY, INDIVIDUAL INITIATIVE, AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN AM AFRICAN PLURAL SCCIETYt TEE BAHILEKE OF CAMER~CN-- A,I.D, Evaluation Special Study No. 15 Hazel M. McFersorr, Ph-Do U.S. Agency for International Develcpment June 1983 The view and interpretationm exprersed in thir report are thma of the zuthor and should not be attributed to the Agency for International Devalopment. A.I.D. EVALUATION PUBLICATIONS A complete list of reports issued in the A.T,D. Evaluation Publication tmriem ia included in the back of thia document, together with information for ordering report.. TABLE OF CONTEKTS Page A. Ethnic Pluralism in Cameroon..,.~.,...~.............1 B, Colonial Policy and the Emergence of a Commercial Eth0~.~...~.~..................~.......3 C. The Bamileke.m.~.~.~.~.~.m...~..m...m.~~m.m~~.m~..~~5 A. The Nomenclature Issuc...~..............m.~~o~~m.~~~7 B. The Bamileke mProblemm~...........~m~.m.m.m~ammm.mm~7 C. Ethnicit2 and Barly 0rigins..~.........~...~.aa~.~o~9 Dm Traditional Sociopolitical Organi~ation.~...~..~.~.lO E. Traditional Authority System.~.,.~......mm..mammm~m10 P. Auxiliary Fun~tionaries~.~.~.~..~..~.~.~...~~.~~.~~12 G. The Inheritance System and Land Distributl0n,.~~..~l4 Ha Traditional Title Societies~...m.......mmm...mmmmam15 111. Economic Attitudes and In~titutiona~~.~....~~.~..~~....15 A. The Sociopsychological Foundation of Bamileke S~iety.~.......o.....~ao....a.a..m.......o~...~ol5 1. Group Solidarity and Individuelia~,,.,..e..a.m.16 2. Belief in the Possibility of Individual Pr~~re~s........... ...................ma..mm.17 3. The Spirit of Innovation..~~.....m~~~...mm.m.~.18 4 The Spirit of C0mpetftion..~,..~...~~~....~~.~~19 B, The Commercial Ethos of the Bami1eke~..~........~..20 1. Barnileke-European Economic Relationr.~........,20 2. Contemporary Entrepreneurship..m.ma..m.mmmmmm~m23 C. Migration and Occupational Dietributi0n~~..~.~....~23 Dm Contemporary Financial Instit~tions~...~..~.~~.~~~~24 IV. Conclusicns and Lessons Learned......m...m...m....a.mm.27 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Appendixes Ao Methodology and List of Contacts Bo UCCAO: Success Story of a Bamileke Ccfiee Cooperative C. The IBO: Similarities with the Banileke Experience Do Bibliographic Note Em Tables References Cameroon is one of Africa's most ethnically and linguisti- cally diverse countries. The Bamileke of Cameroon are one of the most enterprising ethnic groups in Africa. Their success In private-sector activities is traced in this study to (1) their traditional culture, which plazes a premium on the development of economically relevant personal skills; (2) external variables, such as the effect of land pressures, population density, and urban migration; and (3) the economic functions of traditional institutions. The Development of Economically Relevant Personal Skills Although the group solidarity of the Bamileke is strong, individual achievement is highly valued. Members of the group are expected to exercise individual initiative in the pursuit of economic goals. Individual acquisition of economic re- sources including private property, money, and other remunera- tion is stressed, Other cultural characteristics of the group that have been invaluable to their entrepreneurial skills are discussed below. Belief in the Possibility of Individual Progress. Unlike the situation in many traditional African cultures, the social status of an individual in this ethnic croup is not rigidly fixed; individuals--male or fesale-can improve their condition in life and are expected to do so, Commercial and business success js one of the most highly valued routes to prestige and status. Bamileke women are also expected to achieve economic and comnercial success and there are few traditional limits placed on their economic participation. The Spirit of Innovation. The Bamileke have coasistently responded to a changing economic environment. Prior to the advent of German and French colonialism, the group was involved in indigenous trade with groups in the interior and the north of Cameroon. After the arrival of Suropeans, the trading activities of the group shifted to specialization in goods de- sired by Europeans, such ar ivory and other sought-after pro- ducts. The commercial ethos of the Germans complemented the traditional entrepreneurial orientation of the Bamileke. The Germane deeired products which only indigenous traders could secure, md the Bamileke were able to establish hegemony in trading activities around the coastal areas of Cameroon. This hegemony continued under the French, and it was during this period that the Baaaileke displayed yet another example of their spirit of innovation: the ease with which they adapted to coffee farming in the Western Highlands-their traditional home In Pebtuuy 1982, tho Administrator of the Agency for International Developwnt (AID) requoated that the Buf88u for Progru and Policy Coordi~tioa, through its Offico of Bvaluation, iditiata r aerier of rtudier examining tho contribution of paat AID effort8 to strengthen the role of the private swtor in the developwnt ptocesam Aa part of the fitat phue of thia effoft, four countfie8 -- nalawi, Corta Ria, Thailand, 8nd C.1.roon -- were 88lect.d fog in-depth evrluations of the central i8auer surrounding thia question. In addition, several special studies on topica of intereat were crrriod out. There topic8 reflected isaues which emerged while planning for tho countty rtudfes. Syntheaia report8 cciaparing the central then8 invertigated in the country rtudier are av.il8ble. Richard N. Blue, Ph.D. A8sociate Assirtant Administrator for Bvaluat ion Bureau foe Program and Policy Cootdination area--has made them one of the most successful cash crop farm- ing groups in Africa. The success of the Bamileke is not liaited to farming, however; the group is also dominant in caslrercial and private-sector activities throughout Cameroon. A8 such, they have functioned aa an important sector of indig- enous economic activity. The.Spirit of Competition. The traditional values of the mileke stress individual competition and overt displays of 'getting ahead. Individual B-mileke are expected to Gmpete and to surpass each other's accomplishments. The emphasis on ampetition is not limited to economic activities, but is a feature of personal relationships as well: within families, children are expected to compete with their siblings; sons and daughters are encouraged to surpass the achievements of their parents. This, too, is in contrast to many African traditional values in which conpetition is viewed as a hostile act and as inimical to the maintenance of group values and solidarity. External fnfluences: Land Pressure and Migration In addition to their traditional cultural values, the Bamileke spirit of enterprise has been influenced by changing traditional land patterns and by the indigenous inheritance system. The high population density of the Western province of Cameroon-the Bamileke traditional area--has resulted in ex- treme land pressures and has caused younger people to push out into the urban areas where they ham been expected to 'make ita on their individual effort, albeit with support from others of their group. The traditional inheritance systcaa favors a single heir, who is not obligated to share his inheritance with relatives. This also strengthens the strong compulsion to succeed in one's wn. In effect, this has meant that the severe limit on econom- ic development, Found by Ragnar Nurkse 50 apply in labor- surplus developing country agriculture, has not been operative in Baaaileke-populated areas of Cameroon. Nurkse had observed the phenomenon of large-scale disguised unemployment in agriculture--the existence of large numbers of people whose real wage is higher than their contribution to agricultural production. In this situation, the standard of living of the mrglnal agricultural laborers is in effect subsidized by the surplus of the more efficient. The savings p?tentiaZ is lmgnar Nur kse, Problems of Capital Format ion in Undcrdeve1opc.d Countries. (Reference6 are shown in abbreviated form in foot- notes. Complete referencem 3re in the bibliography.) therefore expended to support the standard of living of margi- nal producers instead of being mobilized for investment and is- proving productivity. The Bamileke ethos of individual contribution to group ac- tivity, which customarily entails the out-migration of the marsinal producers, removes this common obstacle to the mobili- zation of savings and consequently to the expansion of produc- tion and productivity in Bamileke agricultural areas. At the same time, the mechanism of group support bolsters the chances of the individual out-migrant to achieve economic success in ways and locations that do not.imply a burden for the group itself. The Contemporary Economic Role of Traditional Institutions Bamileke traditional institutions have been highly adap- tive to modern economic functions, For example, the Mand on , a traditional title society, plays an important role +-=n gener- ating capital through a savings and loan format. The Mand on has tw economic components: Le Bank and Le Ntsu'a. _17BLe Ban is a savings system; each member, In accordance with sm procedural guidelines, pays in a sum of money which is depo- sited in a special, interest-bearing bank account. Le Ntsuma (also called Susu or tontine) functions as a rotating credit association; rembers
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