National Day (Cameroon)
Unitary State Day | |
---|---|
Also called | National Day |
Observed by | Cameroon |
Date | May 20 |
Next time | 20 May 2024 |
Frequency | annual |
The National Day (
Even though it is considered a holiday, children all over the country go to schools and celebrate Unity Day usually by singing, carrying out parades or marches all around the different parts of their various cities. Speeches are made by the president of Cameroon and other important personalities. The day is presided over by the president in the capital, Yaoundé. In the regional capitals, it is presided by the governor who represents the government. The divisional officers preside over the day in their various divisions.[citation needed]
Events
The 47th National Day was marked in Cameroon in 2019 amidst violence in Anglophone parts of the country. The main opposition parties, the Cameroon Renaissance Movement and Social Democratic Front, boycotted the events "in solidarity with the lives lost in the English speaking regions."[3]
National Day festivities in the country were cancelled both in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5]
References
- ^ KOUADIO, Maxime (20 May 2021). "Cameroun: La fête nationale de l'unité célébrée dans le silence en raison de la Covid-19, l'appel de l'Ambassadeur du Cameroun en Côte d'Ivoire". Linfodrome.ci (in French).
- ^ "Fête nationale du 20 mai 2021 : l'Union Européenne appelle le Cameroun à relever les défis sécuritaires" (in French). 20 May 2021.
- ^ a b Tapuka, Gerald (28 May 2019). "Cameroon Celebrates 47th National Unity Day In Blood And Violence". The Organization for World Peace. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Cameroon's Unity Day celebrations canceled as COVID-19 masks internal tensions". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Cameroon cancels national day festivities due to COVID-19". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
Further reading
- Mbaku, John Mukum (2005). Culture and Customs of Cameroon. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.