The Tragic Conscience of Human Experience in African Literature in French

Depuis la représentation d’une Afrique ancestrale paradisiaque par Senghor, la littérature africaine en français a complètement basculé dans l’expression, sous divers modes, d’une vision pessimiste du vécu des peuples africains du fait d’une classe politique perverse. De Yambo Ouologuem aux récents signataires du manifeste intitulé “Pour une littérature monde en français” se profile une conscience tragique de l’expérience humaine africaine qui sert de fil d’Ariane à cette étude

Le phénomène des motos-taxis dans la ville de Douala : crise de l’État, identité et régulation sociale. Une approche par les Cultural Studies

Stratégies d’occupation de l’espace urbain, refus de consommation passive de la culture dominante, raison d’exister en tant que groupe et construction d’une identité propre ; telles sont les caractéristiques du moto-taximan. Cet article se propose, à la lumière des Cultural Studies, de rendre compte d’un mode de transport qui a émergé à la suite des villes mortes dans la période de transition politique. Les motos-taximen se définissent en tant que groupe à la fois « marginal » et essentiel dans les rapports sociaux de la ville de Douala. Plus qu’une enquête socioéconomique sur ces acteurs du secteur informel, l’analyse porte sur les caractéristiques identitaires des motos-taximen comme producteurs de culture et de valeurs sociales dans leurs interactions avec les autres acteurs des logiques urbaines. L’identité du moto-taximan est en perpétuelle négociation dans le regard à « l’autre », à travers l’expérience quotidienne d’une histoire en train de se faire et non écrite d’avance.Strategies of urban space occupation, as refusal of passive consumption of the dominant culture, are the opportunity to exist as a group and help to elaborate a distinctive identity for the motorbike taxi-men. The purpose of this paper is, in the light of the Cultural Studies approach, to give an idea of an urban means of transportation which has emerged in the aftermath of the ghost towns after the political transition turmoil. The motorbike taxi-men can be considered as a group both marginal and essential for the social relations in the city of Douala. More than a socio-economic inquiry on the actors of the informal sector, this analysis states on the characteristics of the motorbike taxi-men as productors of culture and social values in their interactions with other actors in the urban situation. The motorbike-taximan’s identity stands in constant negociation on the attention to « the other » as a daily experience of a history in process and not written in advance.Estrategias de ocupación del espacio urbano, rechazo del consumo pasivo de la cultura dominante, razón de ser en tanto que grupo y construcción de una identidad propia, éstas son las características de los moto-taxistas. Este artículo trata, bajo la óptica de los Cultural Studies, de describir una forma de transporte que surgió en las ciudades muertas en el período de transición política. Los moto-taxistas se definen en tanto que grupo al mismo tiempo «marginal» y esencial en las relaciones sociales de la ciudad de Douala. Más que una encuesta socioeconómica sobre dichos actores del sector informal, el análisis aborda las características identitarias de los moto-taxistas en tanto que productores de cultura y de valores sociales en sus interacciones con los otros actores de las lógicas urbanas. La identidad de los moto-taxistas está en negociación perpetua con el « otro », a través de la experiencia cotidiana de una historia en construcción y aun no escrita

Impact of organic and inorganic fertilizers on tomato vigor, yield and fruit composition under tropical andosol soil conditions

Introduction. Little is known about the impact of organic manure on andosol. Materials and methods. Two varieties of Solanum lycopersicum L. (cvs. ‘Rio grande’ and ‘Rossol VFN’) were grown under tropical andosol. The soil was silty, acidic and very poor in Bray P (3 mg·kg–1) with a strong imbalance in the (Ca:Mg:K) ratio of (74.0:25.0:0.7). Five fertilization treatments were used: (i) control with no fertilizer, (ii) minerals, with a (Ca:Mg:K) ratio of (76:18:6) and 75 mg P·kg–1 of soil; (iii) poultry manure with a (Ca:Mg:K) ratio of (68:24:7) and 450 mg P·kg–1 of soil; (iv) a combination of (ii) and (iii), and (v) mineral fertilization as applied by local farmers, with a (Ca:Mg:K) ratio of (73:25:1) and 54 mg P·kg–1 of soil. Results. All cation-balanced treatments (organic, mineral or a combination of both) significantly improved plant growth, the number of trusses and fruits per plant, the marketable fruit yield and fruit P, K, Ca and Na contents of both tomato varieties considered. The ‘Rio grande’ variety was the most productive (32–44 t·ha–1) compared with the ‘Rossol’ variety (20–22 t·ha–1). There was no major difference between the organic fertilizer and the cation-balanced mineral fertilizer. There was no effect of mineral fertilizer with an unbalanced cation composition on tomato plant growth and production as compared with unfertilized control. Conclusion. In tropical andosol poor in potassium and phosphorous and with excess of Mg, application of poultry manure in adequate dosage and at the right time is capable of sustaining tomato fruit production, as well as the application of calculated inorganic fertilizer

Discrimination of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) strains using Mexican lime/citrange Troyer combinations (Citrus poncirus/Citrus trifoliata x Poncirus sinensis)

Two strains of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) were studied for six years in Yaounde in the forest zone of Cameroon. These strains, SNCL2 and SNCL4, were characterized on Lisbon lemon in Nyombe in thelittoral zone of Cameroon. They were inoculated onto combinations of Mexican lime/citrange Troyer. The virulent strain SNCL2 induced a lower lateral growth of the trunk of stocks and scions of six yearsold combinations. These observations were made three years after inoculation. Tristeza symptoms could not allow for differentiation between the two strains of CTV

Guide and Trade Union Dossierfor Boosting the Capabilities of ACPTrade Unions in the EconomicPartnership Agreements

The negotiations of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) under the Cotonou Agreement entered their final phase this year (2007). They have presented some problems for the trade union organisations, both in the ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries and in Europe. The point is that these agreements will lead to structural reforms which will bring consequences for the living and working conditions of the ACP populations. Accordingly, it is essential for the trade union organisations to get actively involved in the negotiations and the framing of these EPAs so as to guarantee that they comply with binding criteria tying the integration of the ACP countries into the global economy with the promotion of decent work, the reinforcement of social and economic rights and respect for workers’ rights. That is why the Confédération syndicale des travailleurs du Togo, on behalf of all the trade union organisations of the ACP countries and the European Trade Union Confederation have undertaken a project aimed at ‘Boosting the capabilities of ACP trade union organisations in the Economic Partnership Agreements’. They were supported by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the World Confederation of Labour (WCL), now dissolved and united within the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) as well as by the Bureau for Workers’ Activities at the International Labour Organization

Removal of faecal bacteria and nutrients from domestic wastewater in a horizontal surface flow wetland vegetated with Echinochloa pyramidalis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the removal of faecal bacteria and nutrients from domestic wastewater, in surface flow wetlands vegetated with Echinochloa pyramidalis. Horizontal surface flow (HSF) wetlands were fed with primarily treated domestic wastewater at organic loading rates varying from 20.74 to 27.15 g BOD/m2/day for two consecutive years. Water samples were collected at two weeks interval from the inflow and the outflow of the treatment wetlands for physicochemical and faecal bacteria analyses. Physicochemical parameters with highest removal rates were total suspended solids (TSS, 62-80%), Nitrates (57-73 %) and PO4-3 (57-84 %). Faecal indicators reductions of 1.4 and 0.3 log units (1st year) and 1.15 and 0.65 log units (2nd year) were respectively recorded in the vegetated and the control wetlands. Reductions of total coliforms, faecal coliforms and faecal streptococci were significantly higher in the vegetated wetland than in the non-vegetated control in both seasons of the first year. In the contrary, there was no significant difference in the removal rates of faecal indicators between vegetated wetland and the non-vegetated control during the dry season of the second year. Wetlands vegetated with E. pyramidalis was proven to be continuously efficient in the removal of faecal indicators for the two years of study, with no significant differences between the seasons of the year and between the years.Key words: Wastewater, wetlands, Echinochloa pyramidalis, faecal bacteria removal, nutrients removal

Evaluation des lignées endogames de maïs (Zea mays L.) pour le développement des hybrides adaptés aux zones de basse et moyenne altitudes du Cameroun

Un croisement diallèle a été utilisé pour évaluer 11 lignées endogames de maïs (Zea mays L.) de basse et moyenne altitudes dans le développement des hybrides. Les 55 hybrides issus de ce croissement et 3 variétés composites ont été évalués en 2004 sur trois sites dans un dispositif simple comprenant 2 répétitions. Les objectifs étaient d’identifier les hybrides les plus productifs, d’étudier les effets de gènes des lignées et d’évaluer les aptitudes à la combinaison. L’analyse de la variance combinée sur les trois sites a montré que les différents hybrides ont présenté le même comportement et classement relatif d’un site à l’autre pour le rendement. Cinq hybrides à savoir Cam Inb gp117 x ATP-S4-25W, 91109x ATP-S4-25W, 88094 x cml 254, 88094 x Exp24 et 87036 x cml 254 se sont mieux comportés que le meilleur hybride de l’IRAD (87036 x Exp24). Les lignées de basse altitude ont montré les meilleures performances en croisements dans les deux zones. L’effet de la dominance n’a pas été significatif tout comme l’aptitude spécifique à la combinaison sur les trois sites. Cependant, l’aptitude générale à la combinaison a été significative et en générale positive. Les caractères sont donc contrôlés par les gènes à effets additifs.Mots clés : Aptitude à la combinaison, dominance, effet des gène