Fred Vubem
3 July 2009
The anniversary celebrations in Yaounde focused on the contribution of the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, in moulding the American nation.
The US embassy in Yaounde yesterday joined their counterparts the world over to celebrate the 233rd anniversary of the birth of the American nation. Celebrations this year which coincided with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln focused on the contributions of the 16th president in moulding the modern day United States of America.
According to the US Ambassador to Cameroon, Janet Garvey, the choice of Abraham Lincoln is because of the similarity he has with the 44th American president, Barack Obama. Both embody the American dream, rising from humble birth to the pinnacle of success. Both presidents equally instituted a system of working with the political opponents. President Lincoln under the 'team of rivals' policy included three of his opponents in the presidential race in his government just as Barack Obama did with Hilary Clinton, Joe Biden and Robert Gates.
The US Ambassador to Cameroon said the US government was prepared to work with Cameroon to foster democracy in the country. She said Cameroon and the US have friendly ties disclosing that the US is the single largest investor in Cameroon and that Cameroon's exports to the US have doubled over the past years. She also said that the US Embassy in Cameroon was prepared to support Cameroon in the fight against HIV/AIDS, support environmental protection, reinforcing security and good governance. She said the US was instrumental in the Green Tree agreement that saw Nigeria cede Bakassi to Cameroon.
Commemorative activities also included a reading of excerpts of some important speeches made by Abraham Lincoln, presented by the artistic director of the national theatre, Bounya Epée Genevieve and the cutting of the anniversary cake which was jointly done by the US ambassador in the company of Cameroon's Vice prime minister in charge of Justice, Amadou Ali and a mock President Lincoln. Invited guests on the occasion included members of government, the civil society as well as the military.
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