Preparations for World Oceans Day in full swing in Cameroon
With our new initiative of Ocean Volunteers, we collaborate for the fourth consecutive year with Mundus maris in celebrating World Oceans Day in Cameroon. We are stirring up public and private organisations, local authorities and schools and are receiving promises for cooperation from quite a few.
Not leaving anything to chance, the initiative obtained the agreement of His Majesty Ekoo Roosvelt, head of the largest village in Kribi, to preside over the launch of the activities for World Oceans Day 2017. We also received a formal agreement from the Minister of Youth and Civic Education and an appointment for talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Requests for meetings at the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, the Ministry of Sport and Physical Education, the Ministry of Livestock and Animal Industry, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Water and Energy, and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education are pending. We also contacted several embassies and consulates. We got a few unfavorable replies to our request for support, but are still waiting for answers from the majority.
Meanwhile, we are preparing the activities on the ground. We were very pleased to receive the organizer's kit from the Surfrider Europe Foundation through help from Mundus maris.
We plan marches e.g. in the coastal town of Douala, where the School Petit Joss will contribute the biggest contingent and two others are also committed to participate in the capital Yaoundé. We are trying to involve other schools as well.
As for educational lectures, we'd be interested in films about initiatives to protect the ocean. The local populations and the fishermen will present testimony of their experiences in terms of present situations and what they expect in the future.
We have received the agreement, in principle, from the Honorable Djomgoue Paul Eric to sponsor a sporting event in the capital Yaoundé.
There is still lots to do, but we are hopeful that the events will attract a lot of participants and attention towards the need for protecting the ocean more effectively true to this year's motto "Our Ocean, Our Future".
Text and pictures by Jeauberte Djamou, Cameroon.