Lukong Pius Nyuylime
1 December 2008
One week after the official launching of the annual trade fair, many stands remain unoccupied.The hustle and bustle that usually characterise the Tsinga annual Trade fair is yet to come. One week after the official commencement of the fair, the fair ground remains almost deserted and to say the least, "miserable". Many stands are still to be occupied.
The activities taking place portray an atmosphere of preparation and installation. How far it will take to install is the question many are asking. Ticket sellers and other gatemen and women are virtually unemployed. The few enterprises that have installed in some of the stalls are virtually deserted with very few curious visitors coming around.
One of the sections tipped to be the most interesting to visitors, the handicraft village (Espace Artisanat), can only boost of three or four shops. Like in many other sectors, one can only hear the sound of hammers an indication that the fair is yet to begin.
At the time Cameroon Tribune visited the area, the parking lot was completely empty. Maybe, the situation is different in the evening following the re-introduction of the gastronomy component of the fair. Already, the majority of the visitors present at Tsinga yesterday were young boys and girls.
The stage for musical shows and cultural evenings has been setup. Thanks to the orchestra put in place by trade fair authorities, one can listen to sounds of drums and music electrify the air giving the impression something is going on at the fair ground.
That notwithstanding, Trade Fair administration has taken all dispositions to ensure a hitch-free exhibition. The services of the police have been solicited and a police station set up in the centre of the fair ground. Police officers including fire brigade officials are all mobilised for the event.
One of the visitors described the state of affairs in the following words: "we are coming here because the International Trade Fair, PROMOTE, has not started.
When it starts, I am afraid, many of us will takeoff for the Conference Centre". Whether the timid start of the Tsinga trade fair is caused by the presence of PROMOTE, is the question.
But as the President of the Trade Fair, Ebenezer Njanga stated last week during a press conference in Yaoundé, the Tsinga annual trade fair has its own specificities.
First of all, it is generally a trade fair where people come to buy and sell. It is a trade fair for the poor. Organised by the Cameroon Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and crafts, the trade fair has as activities; exhibitions and sells, side attractions, thematic talks and days, promotional sales and forums.
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