RFI
In Douala, CHAN 2020 does not boost everyone’s business
In the economic capital of Cameroon, in Douala, bars, hotels and small businesses vary in their appreciation of the contribution of competition to their activities. Everyone is hoping for an economic upturn in a year with the CAN, a larger tournament. From our special correspondent in Douala, Behind her small table on the edge of the Douala Reunification Stadium, Louise awaits customers. Biscuits, packets of disposable tissues, peanuts, soluble coffee pods make up his stall. Behind, beer crates from Brasseries du Cameroun. In a few minutes will start the Morocco-Togo match and the few spectators do not seem to be interested in Louise’s table. “I don’t see anyone, the CHAN, it’s nothing, no clients, laments the young woman. In addition, the police changed my location. I was just at the entrance, now they isolated me and the supporters don’t even see me. ”“ When the ball is rolling, there are always people ”Not far from the stadium, on an avenue in the neighborhood popular Bepanda, the Lioness bar. On the walls, posters praising the matches of CHAN 2020. The attendance is however very sparse at the time when Morocco-Togo is being played. “There are not many people because the Lions do not play, explains the manager, papa Guy. It was packed on the day of the opening game. Business went well that day. I am impatiently awaiting the CAN ”. His neighbor, Serge has another explanation for the absence of supporters / consumers. “It’s a Monday. When Cameroonians spend Saturday eating and drinking, it’s normal, that there aren’t many people on Mondays. At the moment, I don’t feel the CHAN in my business. Maybe if Cameroon comes to play in Douala. ”At the busy Bonamoussadi crossroads, the CHAN effect is much more felt. Antoine, manager of Dekeré, a bar restaurant, is unequivocal. ” Ah yes ! I see the difference since the beginning of CHAN. There are more people in the restaurant. I’m not a football fan, that’s why I don’t know about matches, but people walk by, see the match on TV, stop and come in to eat and watch the match. “When the ball is rolling, there are always people to watch in Cameroon,” confirms a client. Antoine has noted the date of the next Lions game and intends to display it in front of his business. “I think this competition can be good for us and the business. So that promises next year with the CAN. The CAN which will cost us billions His client Jean-Claude is a fan of football, but does not see the relevance of organizing the CAN in Cameroon. “We are told that it is a party, but the populations will suffer. Look, the crossroads were closed just for a game that nobody cares about. It’s hot and traffic jams are deadly, we make people suffer for nothing. “The man, who is probably not having his first beer of the day, continues with very lucid words:” In Cameroon, there are two kinds of people, the thoughtful and the emotional. The latter, we keep them with football. But football has never developed a country. Today, there is the Anglophone crisis, there is Boko Haram and we are organizing a CAN that will cost us billions. Do you think this is serious? However, the CAN in Cameroon is eagerly awaited for business after a year very disturbed by the Covid-19 crisis. More than the neighborhood shops, the hotel industry has seen its activity take a big hit. At the Bano Palace hotel in the Bonanjo district, the crisis has been well felt. “The most complicated moment is in April with the confinement, reveals the director of the establishment, Eric Marot. It was complicated financially and socially because we could not keep all the staff. Since October, activity has gradually resumed. “We manage to have between 45 and 50% filling on a capacity of 80 rooms”, informs Mr. Marot. What about CHAN in all of this? The competition did not cause “a revolution” for the hotel which had the CAF “certification” to appear in its list of establishments to recommend. “Apart from a dozen journalists, we have no clients related to CHAN. So it’s not a competition that does our business. There are other hotels that host teams, these are better off I think. We can hope that the CAN will be better ”. See you in a year …
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