Économie politique de la presse écrite au Nord-Cameroun postcolonial

Abstract

This paper seeks to address the political participation of the press in the Northern Cameroon after the beginning of the democratic process which led to the institutionalization of freedom of speech in 1990. Through a Political Economy of Communication perspective, it aims at focusing on L'Harmattan and L'OEil du Sahel -which are the main newspapers in Northern Cameroon- to question the political capital of the press in this area where there is an hegemonic competition between ethno-tribal communities. The paper provides a venue to unveil the contribution of L'Harmattan and L'OEil du Sahel to rivalries between elites in sight of their positioning on the political chessboard at local and national levels. It arises from the analysis of the publications of those newspapers that they have a partisan position in the political opposition between the Fulbe who are Muslims and the Kirdi who are non-Muslims. L'Harmattan supports the first while L'OEil du Sahel has affinities with the others.