Different versions of Puf-puf as known in Cameroon, boiled Cassava, Ground-nut Pudding, Jollof Rice, Soya are a selection of mouth-watering dishes on show at the Alberta Culture Days special at the Edmonton Seniors Central Lions Club, on September 27, 2018.
This was the exciting Cameroon cultural celebration organized by the Cameroon Association of Edmonton. A small but active group came out to support. They organized children to share exciting fashion show with cultural outfits, traditional dances, kid games, and cultural display exhibition tables.
This fantastic cultural celebration took place in the backdrop of upcoming elections this Sunday, October 7, 2018, in their country of origin, Cameroon, a country tearing apart by Boko Haram, the Muslim extremist group in the north, and poorly armed English speaking resistance used as excuse to slaughter civilians by the heavily armed military of the dictatorship of President Paul Biya. President Paul Biya’s military has burned over 70 villages, killed thousands of anglophone civilians and displace many more for daring to request that the English speaking part of Cameroon return to its autonomous state due to long history of neglect as the unification with the french part of the country has not been the best.
English and french speaking people of Cameroon descent are plagued by bad leadership in Cameroon causing an estimated 20,000 to emigrate to Canada to seek greener pastures. Bad leadership which has also led to frustration of the anglophones as over 100,000 has become refugees in neighbouring Nigeria, while double that size dragged their little belongings spared by the burning fire of President Biya’s military as internal refugee in French speaking parts of the country. After 36 years in power, 85 years old President Biya, the longest ruler in Africa laser focuses on rigging yet another election to disguise the situation as normal.
It will be interesting to see how the Canadian Government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with diplomatic relations with the bloody dictatorial regime of President Biya will respond to the mass slaughtering of harmless civilians while 20,000 Canadians with Cameroon origin watch helplessly hopeful.
