National, Labour Days : President Biya Cancels Public Celebrations

Cameroonians will not organise and enjoy the hitherto public celebrations in this year’s editions of the Labour Day feast on May 1, 2020 and National Day on May 20.

The Minister of State, Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh in a press release on April 22, 2020 stated that, “due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the need to respect the social distancing measures prescribed by the Government of the Republic, the President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul Biya, has decided to cancel the public celebrations of the 2020 editions of Labour Day and National Day.” The two events are traditionally crowd pullers. The International Labour Day celebrations for instance, is usually the moment for employers and employees of both the public and private sectors to demonstrate the prowess of their structures during march past parades in Cameroon’s major cities and often crowned by heavy feasting and renewing of commitment to work.  Cameroon’s National Day celebration on its part, provides the occasion to hail the unitary nature of the State. The National Day celebration is usually characterised by military parade and civilian march pasts beginning at the level of the country’s 360 Subdivisional headquarters right up to the national level where the Head of State presides over the parade at the 20th May Avenue in down town Yaounde and later in the evening offer dinner to national and foreign dignitaries at the Unity Palace.

The cancellation of public celebration in the upcoming events, comes after similar cancellations during the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) anniversary last March 24 and the Christian feast of Easter on Sunday, April 12, 2020. The cancellation of public celebrations during Cameroon’s National Day on May 20, 2020 translates gov...