Most commentaries on Africa express profound pessimism about its future. However, two developments in the last decade appear to have raised hopes. The first of these was the powerful wave of democratization that swept through the continent in the 1990s and set in motion a series of changes which, many thought, would end the scourge of one-party and military dictatorships and usher in a new era of multiparty constitutional democracy. The pro-democracy forces drew into the political arena large numbers of people who demanded more openness, transparency and accountability on the part of government. The second development was the bold adoption of the economic liberalization and free market policies which the World Bank and the IMF had for long actively promoted as the best medicine for economic recovery. These international financial institutions, as well as foreign donors, were no longer willing to condone corrupt practices, and tried to link future aid with evidence of good governance, accountability and institutional reforms. However, as the decade draws to a close, there does not appear to be much progress on either front.

In Cameroon, as in most African countries, economic conditions continue to deteriorate. The benefits from the harsh economic measures taken under the structural adjustment programme (SAP), half-heartedly and haphazardly implemented since 1988, are yet to trickle down to the ordinary citizen. On the political front, the democratic experiment is faltering. As frustration and disillusionment set in, the prospects for sustainable economic and political progress are increasingly called into question. This is particularly difficult because, in spite of hardship experienced by the population as a whole, the rich continue to grow richer as the conditions of the poor deteriorate.