Craftswomen on the Spotlight

Cynthia Sieyondji is a Nigerian-born jeweller. Following her marriage to a Cameroonian, she recently moved over to stay with her husband. Despite the joy of a new home and country, she had a major problem.

It was that of integrating herself in the business scene, given that she is not known on the field. However this worry was addressed when she heard of the call for participants at the "Female Handicraft and Arts Exhibition" that was launched in the economic capital. Seeing its third edition this year, the initiative prone by the women group of a Douala-based company as part of their social corporate responsibilities, held from December 13 to 14. The overall objective was to bring artists and craft persons to the limelight, offer market possibilities, at the end of which funds were collected from sold articles to sponsor charity works led by the company.

When CT visited the site on Thursday December 13, a host of creative producers drawn from several parts of Cameroon answered present on the first day. A variety of items comprising painting, sculptor, jewellery, textiles, cosmetics amongst others, were carefully displayed on about 50 occupied temporarily constructed stands. Meanwhile, a unique counter was established for payment, given that a percentage of sold articles is destined to sponsor charity works to the underprivileged and HIV/AIDS patients.