The Minister of Arts and Culture received today in the conference room, Her Majesty Michelle Gaëlle MAHOUVE IV: Chief of the Batanga Nord Grouping at the head of a large delegation .
The topic on the agenda focused on preparations for the 110th edition of the Mayi Festival, a commemorative celebration of the Batanga people scheduled from April 25 to May 9, 2026, with the theme: " Mayi: the wisdom of returning to the strength of our navel ."
It should be noted that the request for this audience stems from the desire of the Batanga community to see the value of its cultural event recognized on the national and international stage.
This community wishes to elevate this event to the same level as other community festivals. It is for this reason that the community hopes to have its festival inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, just as the Bamoun community has done with the Nguon and the Sawa community with the Ngondo.
The grievances presented by the delegation, led by the traditional authority, during this meeting are as follows:
- the presence of the Minister of Arts and Culture at the closing ceremony of this event scheduled for May 9th
support from the Ministry of Arts and Culture for the repatriation of Batanga cultural property illegally exported abroad
- to present to the Minister the cultural projects of the Batanga People: the Batanga Museum, the monument and a commemorative plaque dedicated to the deportation and return of the Batanga people.
The recommendations made by the Minister of Arts and Culture at the end of this meeting :
To reassure the hosts of the support provided by the Ministry of Arts and Culture (Minac) in preparing the application for recognition of the Mayi Festival. Furthermore, to facilitate the establishment of a committee including experts from Minac and community resource persons, with a detailed work program.
