Paper short abstract:

Voluntary associations are very active in many African cities. I consider urban voluntary associations as “African potentials” and describe how these groups produce various ties among urban dwellers and work to maintain social harmony in the case of Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Paper long abstract:

In African urban anthropology, "voluntary associations" have been studied extensively since the 1950s. Such voluntary associations are still very active in many African cities. This presentation discusses urban voluntary associations as "African potentials" and describes that these groups produce various ties among urban dwellers and function to maintain social harmony.

In Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon, rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs), called tontines in French, are very popular. Tontines are organized not only for monetary purposes but also for establishing social ties since members of tontines need to meet regularly. To start tontines, people connect with colleagues, neighbors, their fellow villagers, and so on. It can also be said that people start a tontine to form a community. Members of a tontine often help each other by lending money, giving advice and information, making introductions, etc. In Yaoundé, there are various other types of associations as well. For example, young men make associations with neighbors as sandlot soccer teams. They strengthen social ties by playing soccer every weekend.

Urban dwellers make and strengthen many ties through various associations, and these ties sometimes reach beyond differences of ethnicity, religion, nationality, etc. Such micro ties function as foundations for coexistence in African cities where many people suffer from high crime rates, social injustice, and economic disparities. In other words, urban voluntary associations are some of the important "African potentials" that help create the numerous positive social ties necessary for a healthy urban society.