THE CHINESE LANGUAGE AND THE GEOPOLITICAL CONQUEST OF CAMEROON (1971–2025)
Résumé
Since 1971, China has developed a set of strategies aimed at establishing a cultural foothold in Cameroon, where it already holds a leading position in the economic arena. Today, supported by its extensive cultural arsenal, Beijing is undertaking a genuine geopolitical and even geocultural breakthrough through the diffusion of the Chinese language. However, Cameroon’s linguistic mosaic, characterized by the presence of numerous local and foreign languages, presents a complex challenge to this effort. Asserting a lasting presence in the Cameroonian cultural landscape remains one of Beijing’s concerns in its broader ambition to consolidate economic dominance. This research adopts a plural and interdisciplinary methodology, combining tools from history and political science, notably: the collection and analysis of diverse sources (books, articles, archives, and oral sources), discourse interpretation, and participant observation in order to better grasp the subject. The expected results are organized into three main areas: first, an analysis of the strategies employed by China; second, an identification of the geopolitical implications of Mandarin’s spread in Cameroon; and third, and a critical evaluation of the language’s expansion across the country.