“Repression: Is it the solution?” Douala – 2020

Leading organisation: ACRDR – Association Camerounaise pour la Réduction Des Risques liés à la consommation des drogues auprès des jeunes

Supporting organisation: Comité National de Lutte contre la drogue (CNLD), Ministère de la Santé Publique

Contact: [email protected]

A number of activities took place in Cameroon in 2020:

The President and the association’s computer scientist made a Media Tour from June 22 to July 1 in the cities of Yaoundé and Douala:

• 22 June: 12h broadcast “Journal de la Culture” on FM94 Yaoundé with Emilie ORRE; Production of the ACRDR 3 pm-4pm at the National station of the CRTV Yaoundé with the Célèbre singer Maahlox and Journalists Eric Christian Nya and Jacques MBOGOL. from CRTV; Live broadcast from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Amplitude FM 103.3 Yaoundé Presented by KING LIMY
• On Tuesday 23 June: 9 am to 9:15 am “Podium Siantou” broadcast live on Radio 90.5 FM with Joel Kessack; 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Live Canal2 TV Show “Vous Chez nous” with Derrick Amougo
• Wednesday June: 8:30 am Television Equinoxe Douala https://youtu.be/MWeUIGT7P2o & https://youtu.be/PJ81zgLe0YE
• Thursday June 25 “Douala vous Parle” program from 9:30 am to 10 am on Radio Littoral 91.3 with Marcel Ekassi Bill
• Friday June 26, from 10:15 am to 11:00 am Live broadcast “Your Opinion Counts” by telephone on Radio Littoral 91.3 with Aristide Ngoss Saturday June 27: Program on Health (record on Tuesday 23 June) at the Yaoundé National Post and presented by Yvette Fru; Broadcast 12h-13h live by telephone on the Radio Center of CRTV Yaoundé with Bernado Errero
• Monday June 29: 10h -11h Live broadcast “Your Opinion Counts” by telephone on the Radio Littoral de Douala 91.3 with Aristide Ngoss
• Wednesday 01 July 2020: 7:20 am “Chronique de Société” broadcast (recorded Wednesday June 24) on Radio Littoral 91.3 with Marcel Ekassi Billé; “Positive Attitude” 4 pm broadcast (recorded Tuesday June 28) on Radio Littoral 91.3 with Aristide Ngoss

The day of June 26 itself began with the distribution of masks in the rain, to People Using Drugs (PUD) that sleep in the streets and ghettos of the city of Douala, from 9am.

As a prelude to this day, we paid visit to some of the ghettos from 20 to 25 June 2020 with the aim of raising awareness on risk reductionin connection to drug consumption – such as HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, STIs and Tuberculosis. We identified the recipients of donations.

To comply with the government restriction on gatherings to 50 people, we only let in a limited number of PUDs to the Town Hall where we handed out Support Don’t Punish t-shirts before an educational event took place with Mrs. Baïba Evelyne The head of the social service of the Town Hall, the ACRDR President , Me TCHINDEBBE VOURDAMBE Crepin, Legal adviser and Tax, Human Rights Officer. Then the representative of the Ministry of Public Health Mr. Eric ZOGO presented a 45-minute presentation on the problem of drug or drug addiction among young people. This short training aimed at making known the different types of drugs, and their consequences, in order to ensure that PUDs can cope better, and to know the dangers that surround. Then, we introduced the debate of ideas under the theme: “REPRESSION: Is this the solution? “. PUDs had the opportunity to express themselves freely, and in view of all of the above, repression – with the collaboration of the State of Cameroon, we would like to open harm reduction services in Cameroon, and call for a reform of drug laws.

Finally a Prayer was Made by a PUD (Véronique) who blessed the meal and we have distributed soap, and female and male condoms. The program ended with a peaceful march (with the #supportdontpunish T-shirts) of the Town Hall, passing through the Sub-prefecture, the Central Prison of New-Bell and then the large market of Nkouloulou which aroused the interest of the populations who asked us about this gathering.