Story, Louvier Kindo Tombe
As early as 7 am that Saturday morning, Rasack had already finished cleaning his business site found at the heart the festival village. When we arrived, he was busy arranging his ingredients preparing for the days business. The 32 years old petite trader is one of the very few youths who are into “soya business” in Mengong. With the coming of the BiaSoMengong Festival, his business attitude has changed.
“I used to open here by midday, but now I am forced to open early,” he said.
Rasack is not the only local trader who has adjusted his/her business calender. All the shops and business sites in Mengong center, where the festival village is found now open earlier than usual. Most have even increased their stock to be able to satisfy visitors of the BiaSoMengong Festival. New businesses have also emerged, and the fruits are visible.
The BiaSoMengong Festival which is in it’s second edition this year, organized by the Belinga Foundation is a way of promoting local economy and local artisans in Mengong Sub Division, Mvila Division of the South region of Cameroon. This year, about 300 exhibitors and 500+ affiliated athletes from the 49 villages of the Sub Division are participating in the festival. The figures are better than last year indicating how the people of Mengong have embraced the idea.
“Two weeks is not enough,” a local said, adding that “we want the festival to run for at least 30 days in the future”.
A booming local economy
Before the start of the festival, Rasack used to buy 4 kgs of beef for his “soya business”. To sell it all was usually another challenge. Today, things have changed.
“I now buy 6 kgs daily, and in no time it’s finished,” he said.
Just like Rasack and his “soya business”, many other economic activities are booming in Mengong because of the festival. Philomene is a bar owner, she recalls the ambience of the day the festival was launched.
“There was no breathing space,” she said. “We made the highest profit that day since the year 2023 started”.
One of the sectors that is greatly counting gains is transport. The main transportation means being commercial motor bike. The riders are making strides because the activities of BiaSoMengong 2023 are not only attracting new visitors daily, but are spread in different sites in the locality. For the past one week, movement has intensified attracting finances.
“What I have raised in one week is more than what I raised throughout the month of June,” Charles Effa, a commercial motor bike rider revealed to this reporter.
“There are days that I raise up to FCFA 15,000, which is three times more than my usual profit.”
By the end of the festival, Charles Effa, wants to “raise FCFA 150,000”.
Besides a boom of local activities, inhabitants of Mengong have embraced some petite trades with the coming of the BiaSoMengong Festival. One of such is “fish roasting business” with more than 10 young girls involved in it. Amongst them is Stella, a young girl from Kom, in Boyo Division of the North West region who is now based in Mengong.
“It is very profitable. I regret the festival will end on the 29 of July,” she said.
We are not alone – population
If local economy is booming in Mengong, it is because the festival is attracting hundreds of visitors daily. Their presence in the locality changes a lot of things. Our soya monger, Rasack, kept smiling throughout our stay in Mengong, and this for obvious reasons.
“You can never be happy alone. Just by seeing these exhibitors around me everyday gives me joy, not to talk of visitors who come to buy from me,” he said.
“I used to close for the day by 5:00 PM, but today even if I am not selling, midnight meets me here, because of the evening attractions of the festival.”
With the BiaSoMengong Festival 2023, the local population who exhibit their know-how also benefit from imported and professional expertise in multiple domains. The training workshops on theatre, arts and craft work, debate conference on culture and tradition, among others can be cited as examples.
The “Mireille Gracia Belinga Tournament for Fraternity” which is in it’s 5th edition this year is an activity that brings sons and daughters of the Division together in unity and love, especially the youth. The elderly are not left out as the organisers thought it wise to unite them with a “Songo” game competition that kicked off that same Saturday 22 July 2023 with 24 participants grouped in 4 different pools.
“This is a distraction with wisdom on how to better calculate and understand your opponent,” says Adjomo Nanga Celestin, popularly known as “O-Congo”.
He was 2022 “Songo” champion but did not participate at the start of the competition this year.
It is one week already into the competition, and the objective of the organisers is almost met.
“We want Mengong, for Mengong, by Mengong to develop,” says Steve-Felix Belinga, promoter of the festival, at the launch of the second edition.
