Cultural groups, CPDM militants and students joined President Paul Biya, State dignitaries, Cabinet ministers, diplomats and the military to receive the Italian President on March 17, 2016.

Visiting President of the Republic of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, was full of cheer when he emerged from the VIP Lounge of the Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport at about 12:30 pm yesterday, March 17, 2016 after a brief talk with President Paul Biya. In an unexpected move, the Italian President and his Cameroonian counterpart moved past the waiting black presidential Mercedes limousine, to a spot a dozen metres further and waved to the cheering crowd which had come to welcome the august guest at the airport at midday.

Chants, drumbeats and waist-twists by militants of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM, from the Mefou and Afamba South Section in Mfou, members of the  Upper Sanaga Women and Girls’ Association “Nkon Koa” as well as music from brass bands and students from the National Institute of Youth and Sports (INJS) and the African Institute of Computer Sciences (IAI) Cameroon gained intensity as the presidential motorcade cruised away from the Nsimalen International Airport and into the city of Yaounde.

The crowd waved flags of both countries while more dance groups could be seen dancing and cheering Sergio Mattarella around major junctions in several neighbourhoods such as Odza, Tropicana, Mvan and Mvog-Mbi. Banners hanging over the streets carried messages like “Long Live Relations Between Cameroon and Italy” and “Cameroon-Italy: Foundations for a New Cooperation,” amongst others.