Paper short abstract:

Migrations have deeply changed many societies in the world and imposed to African countries to [re]consider relations between people who are sharing their national area. This qualitative study looks at the current state of relations between communities in Douala’s city in Cameroon.

Paper long abstract:

Migrations have profoundly changed many societies around the world and have forced African countries to [re]consider the relationships between the people who share their national space. Historically, Africa has a long experience of racial exchange in various fields such as trade, education, etc. In fact, Cameroon is attractive because of its diversity in terms of geography, weather, culture, etc. This study – in progress – is based on the analysis of different perception of black people on their neighbors whites mostly came from abroad. The research want to identify the difference that black people have established between whites from different origin and living in a cosmopolitan city of Douala. This qualitative study is based on a probabilistic sample of 25 persons expected from various socioeconomic activities. Then, data will be collected through semi-directive interviews and will analyze by Atlas-ti, SPSS – softwares. Moreover, the theory of Social Representation from Jodelet will be mobilized to understand what makes the difference between whites generally according to local populations. Consequently, the first results show that 35% of respondents think that whites are the same and they still associate them to colonization and oppression. But, the other part of the [pre]collected perceptions illustrates certain differences between the former whites who are now integrated and the new arrivals in the country. These newcomers are widely accused to use brutality and violence when they collaborate with local groups in business. This study looks at the current state of relations between communities in Cameroon.