ABSTRACT
How do the poor in Cameroon obtain basic necessities such as food? They obtain food and other basic necessities through relations of reciprocity based on the notion of interdependence. This highlights the importance of social relationships in everyday life. The importance of such relationships is manifested through various economic activities: agriculture, barter, purchase of basic commodities on credit, etc. Contrary to predictions, barter activities are still found in some rural communities, but occur between people who have pre-existing social relationships. Additionally, people simultaneously make use of social relationships to obtain food and other basic commodities and develop strategies to conceal their actions from the very people who help them meet these needs. This behaviour is clearly evident in the area of food-sharing. Strategies of concealment are aimed at balancing the two forces of human nature: self-interest and caring for others. Furthermore, even when people struggle to get by, they do not embrace any action which may enable them to meet their needs. Although the purchase of food and other basic commodities on credit is a viable option, some people are not involved in the practice. The reason why those in this category avoid the practice is precisely because the purchase of basic commodities on credit is not just a debt as espoused in economics literature, but rather that the practice is intimately linked to status and dignity.
