The Vanessa Tchatchou and Monique Koumateke scandals

This article supports the hypothesis that digital social media have become the preferred space to protest, contest or even “rise up” against government in Cameroon. It posits that the choice of Internet as the site for dissent can be explained by the post-authoritarian nature of the Cameroonian State. To test this hypothesis, the article focuses on the Vanessa Tchatchou and Monique Koumateke scandals, the reactions they triggered among outraged Internet users, and the comments expressed on this occasion by certain political actors on Facebook through journalists’ writing, relayed on several digital platforms. While this protest is a vehicle for empowering citizens, its digital media enable them to exercise the counter-democratic function, thus contributing to a renewal of the public space in Cameroon.