The Rules and Actors of Trade in Ancient Cameroon
PROJECT: FREE TRADE IN PRE-COLONIAL CAMEROON: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES FROM TRADITIONAL LEADERS AND ELDERS
The Rules and Actors of Trade in Ancient Cameroon
February 17, 2023, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm (GMT+1) via Zoom (Register Here)
- Context
The practice of trade between nations is far from being an original feature of modern times. In the historiography of pre-colonial African societies, mention is made of local barter, regional trade, long-distance trade (1), trust (credit by the advance of goods) (2), the circulation of merchant caravans and trans-Saharan trade between the Maghreb and Black Africa, etc. (3). Each category of exchange involved specific actors. The literature on pre-colonial trade in Africa highlights three main ethnic groups in West Africa: the Madingues, the Haoussa, and the Yoruba. In pre-colonial Cameroon in particular, international trade was conducted between Duala chiefs and Europeans. The former served as intermediaries between local producers and foreign traders (4). These exchanges were governed by specific rules relating to currency, the products exchanged, and litigation.
- Objective
The general objective of this webinar is to highlight the rules that governed commercial exchanges in pre-colonial Cameroon.
Specifically, it is to:
- Identify the nature (written or unwritten) of the rules that governed trade in pre-colonial Cameroon;
- investigate whether the rules of trade were the same for intra-kingdom Cameroonian trade and trade with Europeans; and
- question the existence of tariff or non-tariff barriers in pre-colonial Cameroon and the rules applicable in case of a dispute.
- Target audience
This public dialogue is organized by the Governance and Democracy Division of the Nkafu Policy Institute as part of the project “Free Trade in Pre-colonial Cameroon: Historical Perspectives from Traditional Leaders and Elders”. It is open to all without restriction.
- Panelists
– Pr. Nixon Takor Kahjum, Historian, University of Bamenda,
– Pr. Christian Denis Fouelefack Tsamo, Historian, University of Dschang,
– Dr Chu Éric Kangha, Historian, University of Buea,
Moderator:
Dr. Eveline Apisay Ayafor, épouse Ndong, University of Yaoundé I,
Contacts
For more information, kindly contact us by email at the following address: [email protected] or by telephone at: (+237) 222 31 15 84 / 654 86 72 54.
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