2021 AFCON: Bamenda Population Watch In Silence

By Timfuchi Aaron

The 2021 edition of the biggest football event in Africa, the Africa Nations Cup (AFCON) has come and gone in Cameroon, with Senegal winning their first-ever AFCON trophy.

Unlike in other parts of the country where fan zones were set up by the municipal councils, government, and other business people, Bamenda followed the AFCON without any major ambiance around the city, especially on days when the host country, Cameroon was playing.

Before the crisis, jerseys and gadgets of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon were on sale in almost all shops and business people made a lot of money from its sale.
For fear of the unknown, inhabitants in most parts of the region did not even wear these gadgets and some went as far as supporting Cameroon’s opponents during the competition.

“I usually like to watch the games in a bar. But with the ongoing crisis, watching the lions play from a bar in Ntarinkon looks like a death sentence. You might watch and does not reach home. so I just avoided any place like a gathering for football” Intimated Abongwi Lesley.

The night of Cameroon’s elimination by Egypt, bike riders in Bambili paraded the Three-Corner junction in Bambili celebrating the elimination of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.
The population of the North West mostly followed matches in the comfort of their homes while some were watching in bars with little or no ambiance.

According to Binwie Adeline in Nkwen, stay out of trouble has become her mantra “one thing I need in my live now is to stay alive. You have to stay out of trouble by all cost. I love football but I had to watch in the confines of my home without any noise” she said.

Administrative and local authorities failed to even organize activities like in other parts of the country where matches were projected on giant screens. These administrative and local authorities rather tiptoed to the host cities to watch matches.

During the finals won by Senegal, the common man in the North West was happy because they could support any of the finalists without any fear as the majority of them shouted at the top of their voices to celebrate Senegal’s victory