Mengong, July 29, 2025 – True to its logic of encouraging and valuing community engagement, The Belinga Foundation has rewarded the volunteers who contributed to the organization and smooth running of the 4th edition of the BIA SO MENGONG Cultural and Artistic Festival. The award ceremony was held at Mengong High School, the epicenter of the festival.

More than fifty of them received congratulations for their involvement: hostesses, security guards, members of the protocol, hygiene and sanitation managers... All of them received a diploma of participation, or excellence for the most assiduous, as well as a bonus intended to support their personal and educational projects.

"We are in a rural area and you can guess how difficult it is for parents to provide for their children. With 50,000 francs, those who have passed the baccalaureate can already guarantee the fees due, which is not nothing," says Afane Ndong Manuella, a volunteer in the hygiene and sanitation sector.

Unanimous gratitude

The volunteers unanimously expressed their gratitude to The Belinga Foundation for its leading role in revitalizing Mengong and showcasing local talent. Among the testimonies, that of Clovis Essola stands out:

 

 

"I have a plantation and believe me, it is thanks to the free seminars and workshops offered by the festival and the Foundation that I improve my cultivation techniques. This year alone, I learned how to create and make a cassava field profitable, how to maintain a cocoa plantation... I am very attentive during the sessions, and as soon as I return to the plantation, I reread my notes and I move on to practice.

We followed him on the ground, in his plantation, where his words were fully confirmed.

A theme in action!

 

 

With this ceremony, the 4th edition of the BIA SO MENGONG festival closed its 2025 chapter on a note of commitment, training and recognition. Proof that this year's theme _ "Beyond borders" _ was not just a slogan.

And as Steve-Félix Belinga pointed out during a previous meeting, one of the goals of this pooling of the youngest and the not so young is to show the importance of "Serving, learning and building together".

The course is now set for July 2026, from the 11th to the 25th, for the 5th edition of the Bia So Mengong festival, placed under the theme: "Back to the roots".

And let's just say it, these volunteers can't wait to be there.