Abdou Kouomoun

Motorbike taxis are widely used in Yaoundé and Douala, despite their association with heightened accident risks and relatively high fares. This research combines qualitative methods, including 38 semi-structured interviews and direct field observations, with a quantitative survey of 280 motorbike taxi passengers (customers). It employs a dynamic risk approach to analyse both the factors motivating individuals to choose motorbike taxis and the strategies adopted by drivers and passengers to mitigate and prevent accidents. The findings reveal that speed, cost-effectiveness, and the limited accessibility of certain neighbourhoods to other transport options are key factors driving regular motorbike taxi use. Moreover, strategies for managing accident risks include regulating passenger positions based on gender, perceived age, or physical stature; invoking deities for protection; and passengers’ verbal interactions with drivers to ensure safer behaviour. This research also explores how overloading, a collectively tolerated deviance, is managed to avoid or minimize the impact of accidents. By addressing both risk acceptance and prevention strategies, this study provides new insights into passengers’ social perceptions, which are often overlooked in motorbike taxi research. It expands the understanding of motorbike taxi use in urban Global South transport contexts, particularly in terms of users’ risk management behaviours.

More and more cities in Southern Africa are struggling to manage their waste in a context of rapid urbanisation and increasing poverty. In the Cameroon’s largest city, Yaoundé, managing household waste is a growing concern. The public and the authorities cast blame on each other, and the actions taken by each party far from guarantee an efficient management of household waste, which litters the streets. Considering the above, this paper analyses the socio-political practices of stakeholders and their influence on household waste management in Yaoundé. Based on a qualitative survey that combined both a literature review and interviews, the research analysed the challenges related to household waste management with regard to the economy, the environment, and public health. In addition, a cartographic survey using KoboToolbox was conducted in all seven municipalities to analyse the geographical distribution of the waste areas, their size, and their status within the city organizational framework. In total, 264 waste dumps were collected, of which 110 were formal waste using a waste bin of varying size. Social constructivism, stakeholder theory, and strategic analysis were mobilized to analyse the urban waste governance in Yaoundé. Thus, the poor quality of household waste management in Yaoundé was explained using political, economic, sociocultural, and environmental parameters. The social practices and dynamics of the stakeholders generate undesirable consequences that hinder the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By combining social science and engineering methods, this research aims to demonstrate that the shortcomings of waste governance in Yaoundé are both a collective (authorities/public powers) and individual (citizens) matter.

Taking a dynamic approach to the study of youth, this article draws on the results of a qualitative study of young people in Yaoundé to understand the logic behind their participation in sports (soccer) betting and explore associated forms of sociability. After presenting our theoretical framework and data collection methodology, we describe the factors encouraging young people to bet on soccer matches. We then review the various forms of sociability developed in the context of sports betting and explore underlying determinants. To begin with, reports of gambling winnings by friends and acquaintances, love for the sport and the richness of soccer culture, etc., serve as motivating factors. Furthermore, precarious living conditions and the perception of cultural capital acquired through these sports (soccer) betting shape forms of sociability that support strategies for addressing a range of challenges.