Feast of Nativity: the aftermath on traders

The upshot of the Christmas feast is habitually characterised by scantiness in most markets as many still feast on the leftovers at home.

At the Mfoundi market in Yaounde, there was some unusual solemnity, as sleepy and dizzy-looking traders and retailers rest from the stress of the previous busy week.

It is a time when vendors who did not make“good cash,” struggle to give the last trial before the New Years’ celebration.

The Mfoundi market is a glaring example for a trader like Azamah Johnson: “It has not been easy with me this year. Since I deal with perishable goods such as green spices, tomato, green beans and carrot, the bad nature of the roads from my village led to some delays, so most of my customers had to switch to other suppliers.

More to that most got rotten since the goods are perishable. I actually made some profits but not as compared to last year.”

It has also been a dark-out to a trader like Nathalie Tchuendem, who associated her predicaments to the Boko Haram threats in the Far North Region.

Since the recurrent threat of the insurgent group in the Far North, she has been unable to maximise surplus profits since she no longer trade there.

Despite the fact that most traders did not make it as expected, others like Rosaline were an exception. “This year was a good one for me as compared to last year. I decided to come to the market today just to fulfil all righteousness.”

The Nativity has come and gone, yet traders still have the Saint Sylvester as a platform to either mar or make more profits.