Cameroonian community celebrated National Day with food, music, and soccer

Members of the Cameroonian Association of Greater Philadelphia celebrated Cameroon's National Day, on Saturday, May 18, in Lansdowne. The actual Cameroonian National Day is May 20.

Mafeu Emilienne Petke (left) is Cameroonian royalty. The title "Mafeu" is the equivalent of queen. His Royal Highness Marthely Ndemassoha is the chief of Ndento, a village in the west in Cameroon.Read moreFranck Kengne

by Valerie Russ

Published May 20, 2024, 4:50 p.m. ET

People listened to the dance rhythms of Makossa music and enjoyed Eru and other Cameroonian dishes at a Cameroon National Day celebration on Saturday, May 18, at the Beverly Hills Recreation Area in Lansdowne.

While Cameroon’s National Day was actually on Monday, May 20, the Cameroonian Cultural Association of Greater Philadelphia chose to have a daylong picnic the Saturday before.

In addition to food and music, there were children’s activities, games, and soccer. Eric Ekobeni, chair of the Cameroonian Cultural Center project, estimated more than 100 people attended.

Cameroon’s National Day celebrates the anniversary of May 20, 1972, when the Cameroonian people voted to form a unitary state, rather than a federal government.

There are still tensions in Cameroon, where the English-speaking regions say they are marginalized by the central government. The tensions have led to war, known as the Anglophone Conflict.

For instance, in the English-speaking regions, Cameroonians are upset that teachers conduct classes in French, rather than in English.

However, the conflict has not carried over to this country, Ekobeni said: “Today, in the United States, we live in very good harmony.”

The Cameroonian association used the National Day celebration to promote plans to build a Cameroonian Cultural Center in Philadelphia. He said there are about 2,500 people of Cameroonian descent in the tristate area.