The Migration Dreamer: A New Insight into Concepts and Issues in Cameroonian Migration

Abstract

Our paper reports on the challenges that confront Cameroonian migrants and, in particular, "migration dreamers" or migration aspirants who face serious limits, including social extinction or social relegation beyond recovery. Combining data from fieldwork with documentary records on trends in Cameroonian migration, this paper focuses on the social impact and adverse outcomes for aspiring migrants and movers. It reveals that there are migration aspirants who are victims of social extinction and feature prominently behind the camera. As their population increase, their activities have intricate and ferocious impacts at the micro or grassroots level with regard to the hazards thereof. In light of the intricate link between grassroots and national levels in socio-economic development, the article concludes that a major way out is to incorporate the issue into national policy frameworks and, in the process, also engage the attention of interested international agencies.