Cameroonians in anticipation of the grand soiree celebration

Organiser are expecting hundreds to turn up for the celebration of one of the grandest annual Cameroonian soirées on the Parisian calendar this weekend.

The Gubascene, in association with the Bafia of France, aims to raise funds to finance projects in Cameroon and has been welcoming benevolent Cameroonians and friends for the last 30 years.The splendid evening will take place on Saturday, July 5, in the Salle Balzac, Le Moulin Basset, Paris.

Pierre Kung to Bepe, president of the Guebscene, tells us more about this great organisation and how it became to be an institution in France. What does Guebscene translate as? Guebscene means "support" in Bafia, which is a dialect and a tribe found in the Grand Mbam in Cameroon.

Why organize a large Cameroonian evening? I would point out that 30 years ago we organized the first great Cameroonian evening in France. Since then the festival has become an institution in the Cameroonian Diaspora in France because it has always been held every first Saturday in July.

The evening is organized by Bafia nationals living in France. Are other Cameroonians invited? Of course, the festival is organized by the Association of Bafia in France, but all Cameroonians are concerned at the highest point. For example some of our members are from the Bassa, of Douala and the Bamileke. In short, other tribes are found in the Guebscene association.

What is your role as president? My work is summed up in the logical continuation of my predecessors, although it should be noted some innovations. I am responsible for sending hundreds of medication back to Cameroon and manufacturing tables and chairs for our secondary and primary schools.

How is the distribution of drugs in Cameroon? Since 2012 we decided to give medication management to a religious community there in Cameroon, a consistory. But I must quickly say that these drugs are not free because the brothers or sisters living in Bafia will pay a small fee to get them.

Why not entrust the management of these drugs in a hospital? We tried, but the hospital is a state structure, the doctor of the hospital is a public servant, he did not make us account.

It has even been reported to us that physicians have made their pockets. Thus we considered how to achieve our target, which is the old mother who lives at the bottom of the village. We thought the church was better placed to manage medications because people going to pray in the church will be informed of the availability of drugs. And you make revenue from the sale of these drugs?

We have created a Guebscene antenna Cameroon. This antenna operates normally and to assess the role of different local projects, for example, when to make a donation in a school. The antenna of Cameroon sends us a study here, to do our investigations. Once the project is approved it is immediately executed.

All is certainly not perfect, but we think we are on the right track. With our brothers and associations in Nikoul Ombessa, we are considering the idea of setting up a large-scale project to help the Grand Mbam. We hold regular meetings.

Under what sign do you put the great Cameroonian evening of July 5? We place this evening under the sign of international solidarity. "Let us come together to help our brothers and sisters remained in the village." I told them today that we are in the diaspora, but we have left behind us our whole being. So do not give up our land and help our community to be happy.