Cameroon National Day: Unprecedented State House Reception

Thousands turned up at Unity Palace on May 20, 2015 in honour of the invitation of the presidential couple to round off the National Day festivities. Guests who answered present to the invitation of the presidential couple, Paul and Chantal Biya, at the Unity Palace yesterday May 20 for a State House Reception to round off the 43^rd National Day were in thousands. The fine weather that characterized military and civilian parades at the 20th May Boulevard in downtown Yaounde continued in the evening, offering the visitors the opportunity to communion with the presidential couple in all quietude.

Even before the gates of Unity Palace were flung open at 5 pm as planned, queues of people could already be perceived at the entrance, with each guest struggling to get in as early as possible and gain a vantage position from where he/she could better catch a glimpse of their host and possibly shake hands with them. And when Paul and Chantal Biya made their way into the Banquet Hall of the Unity Palace which was already jammed to capacity with the elated guests, there was movement in almost all directions. While some struggled to shake hands, others fought hard to get souvenir photos. Even in the garden where other visitors were entertained, the atmosphere was the same. The smiling presidential couple moved round shaking hands and chatting with the visitors as they moved.  Here, national unity was on display as there was neither race nor culture but all Cameroonians and friends all united behind one leader to surmount challenges of the time