In Cameroon, we call “Bayam-Selam” these women who buy food and supply the markets. In this audio Mondoblog, the Cameroonian blogger Michelle Ymele explains to us what these resellers who bring the country’s markets to life do!
« Up at the first light of day, they have only one objective: to find the best merchandise. “, explains the Mondblogueuse. While many are still sleeping, many women search for food all night in the supply markets. They are called “ Spinach-Diving », ou « Buy and sell” in pidgin. Traveling miles to reach remote areas, such as the bush or large unloading markets, they buy food which they then sell in local markets.
Mondoblog audio – Michelle Ymele on the Bayam Selam
If you want to read the original text or listen to the audio Mondoblog, go to the links below:
The country’s nurturing breasts
If the exact figure of Bayam Selam is not known, according to the founding president of theAssociation of Bayam Selam of Cameroon (ASBY), Marie Biloa Mbala, they are estimated at millions of people throughout the national territory. « The profession is open to everyone, anyone maybe Bayam Selam, especially since you don’t need to write tons of letters to be recruited into the profession. », Underlines with humor Marie Mbala Biloa, when Michelle Ymele asks her who Bayam-Selam can be.
In the markets, they are easily recognizable. La Mondoblogueuse describes a “ warrior stance » and one « typical dress “. In addition to a woven straw hat and long socks, they wear over their trousers a dress of loose cloth that covers the whole body, called “ Kaba”. Unfortunately, “ this style of dress has created an unfortunate reputation for them “, regrets Michelle Ymele. They would be called dirty women, who don’t wash, who can’t get married, who talk badly to customers”, explains the Mondblogueuse. Michelle Ymele also evokes the words of the president of ASBY, who is alarmed by the risks of rape or suspicions of infidelity faced by the Bayam Selam.
ASBY, the association that acts “ for the little people”
Pour « break down barriers, silence prejudices and restore the image of the Bayam Selam woman », Marie Mbala Biloa was fonder l’ASBY in 2004. « I was Bayam-Selam, today God called me to accompany them. Everything we do is for the little people », Explains the one who defines herself as « spokesperson for the voiceless “. With nearly 3 million members across Cameroon and several branches on the continent, ASBY aims to strengthen the capacities of the Bayam Selam, in particular by training them in the management of funding, health security and the reception of clients.