Published on : 02/06/2022 – 09:59Modified : 02/06/2022 – 10:01
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 bank in Bonanjo, 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 posted 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… »
In response to these complaints about the high cost of the hajj, the head of state finally decided on a subsidy of one billion CFA francs for the benefit of pilgrims. A good thing admits Abdoulaziz, even if for him the problem is still not solved: ” After this subsidy, (the price drops) to 2,900,000 francs, but that is still out of reach for the average pilgrim. This one who has been organizing for maybe two years to be able to make his pilgrimage this year…”
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.
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In Senegal too, ” a lot of regrets »
In Senegal, it was necessary to pay 2.8 million CFA francs in 2018, this amount increases to 4.2 million this year. Another element, consequence of the pandemic: this year it will be necessary to be under 65 years old. An English teacher and imam in Louga in northern Senegal, Bachir Diop has been helping pilgrims organize the hajj for nearly ten years. At the microphone of Guillaume Thibault of the Africa editorial staff, like many volunteers, he regrets these new constraints.
« It’s difficult, but it’s everywhere in the world, because also Saudi Arabia has its rules. We can’t do anything about it. The pilgrims themselves are well aware because it is they who give their money. The cost is very high for this year. This is because the price of the plane has become very expensive, the Saudi taxes very expensive, the costs for the stay (at Mount Arafat), the catering also have almost tripled. »
When asked if he has any regrets regarding the organization of the pilgrimage this year, for example on the age limit imposed… ” There are only regrets. There are many regrets, replies Bachir Diop. The age limit, you know, I don’t know for other African countries, but here in Senegal, we can say that almost 80% of the pilgrims are elderly people. That’s why we rejected a lot of applications this year. And we formulate prayers for them and ask, don’t we, their children who wish to take them to Mecca to wait until next year. »