National Youth Day Activities Pick Steam In Yaoundé As War Intensifies In Anglophone Regions

Cameroon(National Times)- Activities marking the 53^rd National Youth Day celebration in Cameroon have gathered steam in many parts of French Cameroun, while the entire Anglophone Cameroon is plunged into a lockdown necessitating a war.

School children at visiting the National Museum

Since the activities marking the Youth Day were launched in Babadjou, Bamboutos Division of the West Region on Friday, February 1 by Youth Affairs Minister, Mounouna Foutsou, under the theme “Youths, greater opportunities and participation in the construction of one peaceful, stable and emergent Cameroon,” many other activities are being organised in the eight other Regions especially the nation’s capital, which is the main focus.

As part of the activities leading to the grand celebration next Monday, a Youth Trade Fair is being organised at the Yaoundé National Museum with the aim of launching the “Youth Connetk” initiative in Cameroon.

According to the President of the National Youth Council, Fatimatou Iyawa, the project which is also known as “Onzaine (eleven) of Youth was launched by the Rwandan President and Chairman of the African Union which aims at empowering the African Youth.

A cross section of the stands at the Youth trade fair

Other activities are being organised in connection to the trade fair with organisations taking stands to expose and market their services as well as visitation of the Museum by children and pupils of some schools and colleges as well as youth centered workshop.

In the meantime, Chantal Biya’s Circle of Friends of Cameroon (CERAC) is also organising a two day blood-donation campaign at the Protestant University of Central Africa which started this Wednesday and would end on Thursday, February 7.

While Yaoundé and other parts of Francophone Cameroon are in the heat of Youth Day activities, the situation is heavily contrasted with the ghost cities and villages in Anglophone Cameroon, sandwiched in daily gun battles between separatist fighters and security forces following the 10 day lockdown which has been effective since February 5.

Already, many persons have been killed within the ranks of civilians, armed forces and separatists and there is no evidence of life in these areas which is an indication that even the regular march pass on February 11 may be a forgotten story.

 

It would be another huge blow to the concept of national unity in Cameroon as the advent of 11 February is largely linked to the history of Anglophones who opted to join Francophones in 1961 to form a Federal Union.

Given the fact that Anglophones who are largely the initiators of the event are not taking part, 11 February celebrations may only be good on papers but dark in reality.

While on the paper there are preparations and budgetary allocations for the celebration of Youth Day everywhere, it is almost a certainty that the division in the country has eclipsed the celebration in one part and until it is carefully managed Cameroon may be going round in circles.