This work was carried out among the Bamileke in the Menoua Division in the West Region of
Cameroon. It presents my main informant, Kenfack Tsopmo Cecile, a handicapped woman of
44 years who uses entrepreneurship as a means to break the social rejection that many
people face because of their handicap.
Despite her handicap, Cecile is very active and present on various social arenas. She is
engaged in many different entrepreneurial activities. Thanks to her lifestyle she is well
integrated in her society and regarded by many people around her as a courageous and hard
worker. However, in spite of her capacity to progress in business, Cecile still finds it difficult
to be taken as spouse, because of her physical appearance. While working with Cecile I
learned not only about her particular case, but also about many issues that she shares with
other handicapped women in Bamilike society. Many handicapped women in the Menoua
Division have common traits like their cultural background and their handicap condition.
Their cultural background makes them capable of undertaking business. But marriage is
generally a serious problem for handicapped women, because in Menoua community, there
are people who consider woman’s physical appearance as the sole proof of her beauty. As a
result of such opinions, handicapped women are widely excluded from the marriage social
field. As victims of social exclusion, some of these handicapped women have established an
association to support one another and fight for their rights.
My decision to research on the issues of handicapped women among the Bamilike stems
from a belief that the handicapped women are important actors of social, economic and
cultural development, who have much to give to the society.