In this country ultra-fan of football, the love of football transcends divisions and the whole country seemed to vibrate at the start of the national team in a competition that it has been waiting for on its territory for fifty years.
From the early hours of the morning, the capital Yaoundé was in turmoil.
Crowds flocked to the barely finished new Olembé enclosure, to the sound of horns and vuvuzelas.
Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar has just scored the goal of the break against Burkina Faso in Yaoundé, January 9, 2022 Kenzo Tribouillard AFP
They were thousands in yellow, red, green, the colors of Cameroon, dreaming of a ticket to admire their idols and enter the stadium built for the competition and filled only to 80%, the gauge set by the African Confederation of Football (CAF), covid and the new wave of Omicron oblige.
Vaccine and negative test mandatory
And very draconian conditions did not dampen the enthusiasm.
To enter the stadium during this CAN, it is necessary to cumulate a complete cycle of vaccination and a negative PCR test of less than 72 hours or antigenic of 24 hours ... in a country where the great majority of the population ostensibly ignores the wearing of the mask and is very refractory to the vaccine.
Only 6% of those over 18 are officially vaccinated.
Across the country, nicknamed "Africa in miniature" because of its many ethnic groups, fan-zones have been improvised to support the national team and dozens of people have gathered in bars where screens have been installed. for the occasion.
A health service worker disinfects the seats at half-time in the Ethiopia-Cape Verde match at Olembé Stadium, January 9, 2022 Kenzo Tribouillard AFP
In Douala, the economic capital, however, the atmosphere suddenly cooled off when Burkina Faso opened the scoring.
But confidence returned after the equalizer and all the bars in town exploded on Cameroon's second goal.
Same enthusiasm in Buea, yet located in the English-speaking west in the grip of a bloody separatist conflict for five years.
In the two South-West and North-West regions, where most of the English-speaking minority of a predominantly French-speaking country live, the armed separatist groups and the security forces dispatched by Yaoundé clash in a deadly conflict that several thousand dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
"Peace factor"
"Football is a factor of peace and unity. This competition is a chance to get back together and build peace for the future", enthuses Ekane Ndale, an official who came to see with a few dozen of people the match in a local football club of Buea.
"My country is Cameroon, it is he that I support and we are all very happy to see him win, especially here in Buea", rejoices George Mua Anang.
"Cameroon is one homeland and we hope that this event will bring peace to this region", abounds Christian Etolo, a French-speaking policeman.
For the indestructible President Paul Biya, 88 years old, including nearly 40 in power, who refuses any negotiation with the separatists and has launched his security forces in an implacable repression targeting the separatists but also the opposition throughout the country, the organization of the CAN is an opportunity to unite the country behind it.
He took advantage of the opening ceremony to make one of his very rare public appearances, as persistent rumors have circulated for years about his fragile state of health and questioning his ability to lead the country.
He received the ovation from the crowd during a lap of honor, from the sunroof of an armored SUV, alongside his wife Chantal Biya.
Cameroonian President Paul Biya and his wife Chantal Biya wave to the crowd at the opening of the CAN in Yaoundé, January 9, 2022 Kenzo Tribouillard AFP
"President Biya has always used football as a political instrument to bring Cameroonians together and surf on their success," recalls Jean-Bruno Tagne, author of the "Tragedy of the Indomitable Lions".
"According to him, Cameroonians must be like the indomitable, united and indivisible Lions", he concludes.
© 2022 AFP