Farmer pride
While throughout Europe thousands of farmers
express their (rightful) indignation against a system that pays for not
working the land, or not milking the cows, in Central Africa we
experienced the great Agricultural Fair of Bozoum.
Three days of celebration, from January 26 to 28, 2024.
Last
week I welcomed Luisella and Marco to Bangui. Luisella is my niece, and
for years she has dreamed of coming to Central Africa. She took
advantage of the availability of Marco, her companion, who came as a
volunteer plumber for the new convent in Bangui.
They arrived on
Wednesday, January 24. We spent the afternoon on the construction site,
and on Thursday we hit the road at 5.30am towards the North. We stopped
in Baoro for lunch, and arrive in Bozoum, after almost 600 km, in the
evening.
Here everything was ready for the Fair, thanks to the
excellent Caritas staff and the excellent students of our St. Augustin
High School, who took care of the reception, marketing and collection of
sales data.
Friday morning we welcomed the Minister of Agriculture, who officially opened the Fair.
There
were around a hundred small cooperatives from all over the region. The
furthest away have travelled 350 km to be present and to bring their
products. They had a small parade, in front of the Minister, the Bishop
and the authorities and guests.
After the various speeches, the
Minister took a tour of all the stands. There were celebrations of
colours, products, different shapes and varieties.
In the
afternoon we visited the vegetable gardens of Bozoum. This year the
rains lasted longer, and for this reason they bounty was a little late.
Yet, one stand is more beautiful than the other. The fact that there are
many young people who dedicate themselves to this activity is an
element of great hope.
On Saturday morning I took the Minister, his delegation and the guests to visit the Bohoro Rice Fields, 7 km from Bozoum.
Sunday
was the final day, which also brought with it the awards ceremony for
the exhibitors of the fair and the vegetable gardens.
In the afternoon the winners were called, and received a diploma, a medal and an agricultural equipment prize.
The faces of the women and men, simple but proud of the work done with such humility, was the most beautiful reward given to us.
The
closure of the Fair allowed us to make an initial assessment of sales,
which were around 40-50 million ff CFA (between 60,000 and 75,000
euros). A little less than last year, but still a considerable amount
for the country and the city of Bozoum.
