Probing into the Vibrancy of Journalists’ Trade-Unions in a Competitive Authoritarian State: A Study of the Martinez Zogo Case in Cameroon

Abstract

The brutal killing of Cameroonian journalist and director of Amplitude FM, Arsene Salomon Mbani Zogo (aka Martinez Zogo), has triggered not only massive international condemnations but also a huge wave of civic movements, razzmatazz, and judiciary actions. These movements have sought to bring the journalist’s assassins to justice and denounce the security and political risks journalists encountered in Cameroon in the exercise of their reportorial duty. Although these movements have caught the attention of many commentators, very little or no attention has specifically been devoted to the role of journalists’ trade unions in the huge civil campaigns engendered by Zogo’s assignation. Meanwhile, addressing this understudied issue may help one see the extent to which journalists' trade unions are vibrant in the democratisation process in Cameroon. Using documentary analysis and critical observations, this paper seeks to fill the gap mentioned above. The paper attains three main objectives. In the first place, it examines the security and political risks encountered by journalists in Cameroon thanks to the country’s political system. In the second place, the paper addresses the extent to which these trade unions have tackled issues of the (in) security of journalists in the country, and in the last instance, the paper explores the level of vibrancy of the unions using Martinez Zogo’s killing as a case study.