In Cameroon and Senegal, the cost of the pilgrimage -announced for the month of July- questions the candidates for the trip.
In Cameroon, some 4,200 pilgrims are expected in Mecca for this edition of the hajj. An overly optimistic figure, believe the pilgrims’ associations, in particular because of the cost considered to be high for this pilgrimage: nearly three million FCFA to be paid per pilgrim for a package including, among other things, the plane ticket, accommodation and restoration. Too expensive for most candidates, reports our correspondent in Douala, Polycarpe Essomba.
In this agency of a Bonanjo bank, in the heart of Douala, customers come and go, but none or almost none seem to pay attention to the information relating to the facilitation of payment of the conditions of admission to the pilgrimage displayed on the walls. A manager of the agency confides to us on condition of anonymity that the crowds in connection with the hajj are rather shy and for him the reason is obvious: the cost considered high for this trip.
A situation deplored by Abdoulaziz Konaté, who came to intelligence but was determined to make the hajj: “ Yes, I will go this year, of course, but it’s not just about me. Here we speak for the community… »
From approximately 3,300,000 CFA francs to 2,924,000 after application of the presidential subsidy, the price of the pilgrimage remains generally perceived as high by Cameroonian pilgrims.