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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Access to land in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon: challenges and prospects |
Author: | Sone, Patience M. |
Year: | 2012 |
Periodical: | Journal of Social Development in Africa (ISSN 1012-1080) |
Volume: | 27 |
Issue: | 2 |
Pages: | 85-112 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Cameroon |
Subjects: | land law land conflicts legal history gender inequality |
Abstract: | Issues of equal access and control of land have constituted a contentious and perennial problem the world over. In Cameroon and elsewhere in Africa, the subject of access to land has been an issue of major concern. Cameroon is divided into two major clusters of regions - Anglophone and Francophone. This article examines what land acquisition entails and its importance to people in the Anglophone region of Cameroon. To this end, it examines the legal modalities for access to land before, during, and after the colonial regime and the impact thereof on Cameroonians in the Anglophone regions of the country. Utilizing existing legislations, case laws, and policy since the dawn of the colonial era, this paper examines the application to land of the laws that have exacerbated the land crises in the country. Secondary data were collected from relevant text books, journals, and internet sources. Particular emphasis was placed on an examination of the challenges associated with the unequal land acquisition patterns between men and women, rich and poor; boundary disputes between and among tribes; the land crises created by the colonial regimes; the farmer-grazier land conflicts, with particular focus on the impact of these challenges on the indigenous population, more particularly on women. The paper proposes policy recommendations to address the unequal access to land in the said regions. Bibliogr., notes, sum. [Journal abstract] |