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International Seafarer’s Day: Seamen recount ordeals.
International Seafarer’s Day: Seamen recount ordeals.
On the occasion of the international Seafarer’s Day celebrated on June 25, the Foyer du Marin in Douala organized a party in honour of seamen at its premises in Akwa-Douala attended by the Governor of the Littoral Region, Samuel Ivaha Diboua and the Indian Consul General to Cameroon, Ravi Kumar. The event featured video projection of seamen giving testimonies on their ordeals at sea, presentations on what the ‘Foyer du Marin’ does for seamen and merry making. The stories had to do with mental depression leading to suicide of some seamen, feelings of estrangement from the family due to long periods of absences at sea, sea sickness and matters of faith in the face of adversity.
For instance a 34-year-old Filipino sailor recounted how he survived a storm at sea and a shipwreck but still continues to love the job. While another, a Ghanaian captain, recounted how his child could not recognize him upon his return home after a long stay at sea and also how he survived a piracy attack off the Gulf of Oman. Others yet recount how they turned to God in prayers during a heavy storm at sea. All seamen claimed to be missing their families due to the nature of the job that keeps them constantly away from home and most have been able to have only one child in wedlock though in the late forties and early fifties. The Indian consul, Ravi Kumar, recounted how they had to trace the corpse of an Indian sailor who committed suicide off the coast of Cameroon and repatriated it to India in collaboration with the ‘Foyer du Marin’ in Douala.
Justifying the celebration of the seafarer’s day, the Chaplin of Foyer du Marin Douala, Silvie Boyd, said the seafarer’s job is the most invisible in contemporary world that demands no qualification yet essential for world trade. She said it was a Christian duty to help seamen saying they provide food, water, gas oil and medical care to seamen who sojourn in Cameroon. They also offer counseling to those diagnosed with stress symptoms and also offer leisure activities such as karaoke, table tennis, swimming, billiard for the relaxation of seamen.