Over 1,200 craftsmen attracted some 77,000 visitors to the exhibition village. The curtains have finally dropped for the third edition of Cameroon’s biennial International Handicrafts Exhibition, SIARC 2012, and organisers are taking stock of how they faired. If only for the participation of local and foreign craftsmen as well as visits to the crafts village at the courtyard of the Yaounde City Council, stakeholders in the crafts fair can beat their cheats for success. In terms of crafts work, exhibitors and attendance, 2012 set a record for itself, beating any other record in the show’s five-year history.

Over 1,200 craftsmen and women from within and without Cameroon answered present at the Show, 360 of whom were nationals and the rest foreigners from over 15 countries. According to the Commissioner of SIARC, Malet ma Njami Mal Jam, the craftsmen and women with their fine works attracted over 7,000 visitors to the exhibition village daily. This is a marked improvement from the second edition in 2010 when an average daily attendance stood at 5,500 people. Even before stakeholders finalise their statistics, it can be deduced that over 77,000 people turned up to see and buy what was available during the 11-day crafts show.

The increase in the number of visitors was not unrelated with what exhibitors had in their stands. In a random sampling of opinions of visitors, Cameroon Tribune observed that 2012 was an improvement of what exhibitors brought along in 2010. According to Celine Bourdou Ngo, Canada-born and Cameroon-based visitor, “the crafts exhibition this year was more interesting and developed than that of 2010. There were more exhibitors and craft works were being displayed for the public. I think it is one of the best I have seen so far.”  Another expatriate, Rodinet Jean said, “SIARC 2012 offered visitors a wide range of choices. I discovered Cameroon through the crafts village.” It couldn’t have been otherwise as the craftsmen and women from all parts of the country were reminiscent of Cameroon’s rich and diverse cultural backgrounds, and went through meticulous selection procedures. 

Like the visitors from diverse countries and social backgrounds, the crafts village was also Africa and to a lesser extent the world in miniature. Foreign delegations were also aplenty. Remarkable among them was South Africa with 20 crafters, eight counsellors and a Minister. According to South African High Commissioner to Cameroon, Ntshadi M. Tsheole, “our participation has been very good. For us South Africans, our history has not permitted us to travel a lot. These types of occasions, especially coming to Cameroon, open avenues for South Africans to see that we cannot survive by hiding ourselves in South Africa. We need to come into the continent. This is the beginning. Thank you Cameroon for breaking the ice for us.” Others left with more of less the same impression.