Fanfare As Long-Awaited Africa Cup of Nations Kicks Off In Cameroon Under Strict Covid-19 Rules

The cup and the tournament’s lion mascot Mola have been going around the streets of Yaounde, backed by dancers and musicians Agence France-Presse This week in Yaounde’s Warda Square, hawkers of flags, shirts and vuvuzela horns say they have had a slow start in trade. Workers are applying final touches to the fan zones in Yaounde ahead of the long-awaited launch this weekend of Africa’s biggest sporting event. Beset by months of problems and uncertainty, the month-long Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) gets under way on Sunday when host nation Cameroon play Burkina Faso. Preparations to get the giant screens, shops, restaurants and fan space ready for thousands of supporters in the nation’s capital are definitely in last-minute mode. “We Cameroonians love to leave everything to the last gasp,” laughs Simon Atangana, a former national player who is part of an organisation setting up the fan zones. “Everything will of course be ready. Afcon is going to be a huge party, and the pictures will be spread around the world.” (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push({}); The global pandemic forced the postponement of Afcon from last year, and fears of another delay were eased only last month.