When cultures meet: a study of Bamenda market women's consumption of foreign soap operas

Abstract

Since the liberalisation of the audiovisual sector and the upsurge of private commercial televisions in Cameroon, there has been a frequent broadcast of foreign soap operas, known locally as “series”. Qualitative methods were employed to investigate the meanings some market women in Bamenda obtain from their consumption of foreign soap operas and to understand the reason behind the broadcast of foreign soap operas in Cameroon. The participants of the study reveal reading their favourite transnational texts in various ways, both as individuals and as a collective whole. In some instances, market women are seen to copy foreign practices, yet, the emulation of some foreign practices contribute to empowering these women both economically and emotionally. In other moments, some market women resist some of the meanings within imported foreign soap operas. The sharing and discussion of meanings obtained from foreign soap operas arguably work to neutralise the lingual, tribal, religious, educational, and marriage differences that exist among market women. This thesis combines political economy, and cultural studies approaches to capture these contradictory realities of cultural exchange.