Migration (Bush-falling) as a form of insurance for Cameroonians

Abstract

International migration popularly known in Cameroon nowadays as bush-falling is on the rise among Cameroonians of different walks of life. This upsurge is a response to the absence of ample economic opportunities to support the ever growing economic and social demands of a cross section of Cameroonian families and households. This paper investigates migration as a form of insurance for those left behind. The paper highlights a partnership of mutual benefits between families and their migrant members established to meet their socioeconomic needs. It explores the various reasons accounting for international migration among Cameroonian families of different social and economic backgrounds. Migration in general is viewed as a livelihood strategy and in the eyes of most Cameroonians bush-falling remains a contestable and an inevitable pathway for those seeking to lead a better lifestyle. Migration among most Cameroonian families has become a form of insurance in which families pool their resources to support the migration of kin, mindful of the fact that this will ultimately improve the living standards of families through remittances.

Keywords Bush-falling, insurance and the left behind