By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
The 2025 NA-WE-WE Sports Jamboree is underway in Bertoua, East Region, bringing together communities through the spirit of inclusive sports. The event, an initiative of Local Youth Corner (LOYOC), was launched on August 2 by the City Mayor of Bertoua. He was joined by officials from LOYOC, MINJEC, UN Human Rights, UNFPA, and other sponsors among others.
This year’s fourth edition is themed, “Uniting Through Sports: Building Social Cohesion Among Refugees, IDPs, and Host Communities.” Messe Peng, a representative for the City Mayor, expressed his happiness during the launch. “Bringing youths to the city of Bertoua is very welcome because it helps promote living together and allows displaced people to feel free. We are happy for this initiative,” he said.
Dr. Ordy Betga from the United Nations Human Rights stated that social cohesion depends on respecting human rights and non-discrimination, a principle she believes the jamboree embodies.
“Bringing people from diverse communities is the spirit we want. They will enjoy the same rights, and this is what we promote. Our vision is a society where peace and love reign, and people can communicate and collaborate without discrimination,” she explained.
Christian Achaleke, Executive President of LOYOC, described the jamboree’s unique approach to social cohesion. “We use pedagogic sports, which means we don’t follow the normal rules of the game because it’s not a competition; it’s a way to exchange. We also hold daily sessions on topics like peaceful elections and human rights,” he noted.
A refugee named Mahamat Moustapha welcomed the event. “The sports jamboree is a great initiative that gives refugees like us visibility. We can interact with our brothers and sisters and even become entrepreneurs. Many refugees have great ideas but lack a platform, and this event provides that for us, which makes us very happy.”
Influencers invited into the event include former indomitable lion, Tchoutang Bernard and artists such as Joly Garcon, Imbrahim Moustapha, Aristide Mpacko and Petit Malo.
For over a month, key activities will include sports like football, handball, and basketball, along with dance. The jamboree also offers free health consultations, donation drives, and community outreach. Additionally, there will be entrepreneurship and education fairs, solidarity matches, and workshops on moral, civic, and electoral education.
Bertoua was chosen as the host city because of its large population of refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR) and internally displaced persons (IDPs) from conflicts in Cameroon’s Far North, Northwest, and Southwest regions. The East Region hosts thousands of CAR refugees, and the influx of IDPs from the Anglophone crisis and Boko Haram insurgency has strained local resources.
Since launching the NA-WE-WE Sports Jamboree in 2022, LOYOC and its partners have used sports as a tool for conflict prevention, social cohesion, youth leadership, and health promotion. The program’s main goal is to use sports as a vehicle for positive social change among displaced and host communities.
The first three editions, held in Douala, Yaoundé, and Bafoussam, reached over 3,800 IDPs and mobilized 1,500 athletes. The events engaged more than 300,000 people in person and over 2 million through media coverage.
