Chinese-manufactured commodities and African agency in the democratization of consumption: the example of electronic devices in Cameroon

Abstract

Liberalizing the economy brought both social and economic complications to the lives of many Cameroonians and growing numbers of affordable commodities manufactured in China. Focusing on electronic devices (primarily mobile phones, computers, recording gadgets and solar kits), this article considers how these new private possessions have become integrated into existing practices of social representation and to what extent they have transformed the lives of Cameroonians. The article examines through whose agency these commodities arrived, the findings being based on interviews with travelling traders and consumers and upon observations on Cameroonian and Chinese markets in the 2010s. It highlights that African importers of Chinese-manufactured products carefully select and order supplies in China that are affordable and meet the tastes of local consumers. The availability of these goods enables Cameroonians to engage in the consumption of global commodities, heightening their sense of global connection, whilst also concurrently complicating the display of social hierarchies. The importation of these commodities also created business opportunities for numerous traders and service providers.