Images affectives et identité urbaine : les séries camerounaises chez les téléspectateurs de Douala

Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, is among the most complex cities in Africa, as it is defined as much by its creativity as by inertia and physical and symbolic barriers. This article examines the articulation of these dynamics through the prism of popular culture. While most research has focused on the reception of the global media by an African audience, the author analyses the hold that television series made in Douala have on the general public in the city. The article advances the hypothesis that the consumption of Cameroonian series involves a kind of “mirror” that allows the inhabitants of Douala to understand their collective existence and to open up new spaces for social collaboration. The “affective” power of images rooted in the local socio-cultural context plays a key role in these dynamics, because viewers develop a sense of community by sharing reactions and emotions.