All-encompassing Communion At State House

Festivities marking the 51st edition of Cameroon’s National Day have come and gone but memories of the hectic nature of the feasts will certainly linger on in the minds of many citizens and friends of the country for long. The reception offered to the over ten thousand guests at the Unity Palace by the Head of State and wife was sumptuous, to say the least.
Besides the food and drinks, the gathering at the State House was historic. A rare opportunity for first-timers to have a feel of their country’s powerhouse and for others to meet with people they might not have seen for long. And the anxiety could be read on the faces of the privileged invitees who dressed in probably their best outfits, all beaming with smiles to have been among the selected. The enthusiasm with which they moved to the Presidency was telling of a strong desire to have that total communion with their leader and wife. Even before the gates of Unity Palace could be flung open at the scheduled 4 pm, fleets of vehicles were already queued up ready to be ushered into the State House. None wanted to be late. 
Collaboration the thousands of guests showed with the security and protocol officials lightened the challenging task for all as they were controlled and directed either to the Banquet Hall for bearers of gold-coloured invitation cards or to the garden for those who had green-coloured cards. At 6:30 pm when the gates of Unity Palace were closed to signal the end of arrivals, the two halls were almost beehive-like with Cameroonians and friends of...