Abstract
From a survey conducted in a rural population of South Cameroon on the return to the village we wanted to know: who are the migrants and how big is the phenomenon of return to the village? - what are the reasons for the return and the means of reintegration of migrants in their village of origin? - what is their vision of the city and do they have new migration projects? - how do they speak about their quality of life in their migratory journey ? Our study concerns all the thirteen villages bordering the track ending the Ma'an - Ebolowa axis belonging to the geographical area of the Ntem loop in South Cameroon. Fifty-two people were interviewed. The answers to these open questions, rich in information, were the subject of an analysis that allowed the construction of quantified variables. The results, supported by life stories and observations on the ground, made it possible to argue the questions previously asked. This analysis of "return migration" in a very low density equatorial forest area, the Ntem Loop, sheds light on one aspect of town-country relations by clearly denying the prejudices that forest areas are autarkic places of life without links with the outside world and in particular the urban centers. These areas also participate, and in a significant way, in the internal migration of Cameroon. "Return migration" is a relatively old phenomenon in this region; and even if it affects the villages differently, all participate in this population flow. Its recent development coincides with a qualitative transformation observed in other places, which results mainly from the more sensitive economic crisis in urban centers. Some major characteristics stand out, despite the heterogeneity of our body of work. Migrants enjoy a rather high level of education. They leave the village young and do not emigrate after thirty-five years. Their social status at the time of departure is very fragile since most of them are not married, do not have a plantation or a home of their own. No destination seems privileged (even if Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, countries nearby and sheltering the same ethnic group, represent attractive zones); however, three-quarters of migrants head for the city. The time spent outside the village is relatively long, but depends on the causes of return. If the return is mainly suffered (economic crisis, succession), this does not prevent a fairly rapid reintegration of migrants (marriage, creation of a plantation, even a box), especially since they never stopped maintaining relations with the village during their stay in the city. Their attitude towards a new beginning is a wait-and-see attitude (except for the youngest, who are also the least in the village), because it seems to them necessary to have a job to support the family. Nevertheless, the majority of the "return migrants" remain attracted to the city because, as one of them will tell us "... when you are in town, you are more dynamic, whereas in the village of It's not the same, it's routine, so I'd like to go back to town one day. "