Les échanges entre le Cameroun et l’Afrique du Sud pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale

Abstract

At the end of World War I, Cameroon that was hitherto a German colony became a mandate territory under British and French administration. Between World Wars I and II, the bonds of dependence between the French part of Cameroon and France strengthened. France thus became the prime trade partner of Cameroon until the outbreak of World War II. When Germans occupied France, Cameroonian economy was plunged into chaos. Overwhelmed by fear of economic recession, the French administration in Cameroon and French Equatorial Africa turned towards South Africa. Though plagued by lack of shipping vessels, custom complications and dearth of South African currencies, trade links and activities between Cameroon and South Africa witnessed a boom throughout the war period. The imports were diversified but the exports were dominated by wood and coffee. Besides, South Africa became a centre for minting of money, leisure and recreation for the colonists. Cameroon-South Africa relations were used to cushion the crises emerging from the war. At the end of the war, colonial order was re-established and this trade links dissipated in the few years that followed.