BY ESTHER QUI
The National Oil Refinery, commonly known by its French acronym, SONARA, has greatly supported and encouraged Cameroonian arts and culture as well fully participate in the just ended fourth edition of Limbe Festival of Arts and Culture, Limbe FESTAC 2017.
Visiting the SONARA stand at the FESTAC village on the opening day of Limbe FESTAC 2017, April 8, the Minister of Arts and Culture, Prof. Narcisse Mouelle Kombi complemented the standard and class of the stand: “I am not surprised with the quality arrangement and style of the SONARA. This goes a long way to let the visitors know that SONARA is a strategic and high profiled establishment in Cameroon.”
The Minister added that: “Showcasing some of their products and informing visitors about their services, gives them more and adequate information about the workings of the company. It also makes the visitors understand that SONARA is for everyone.”
According to Captain Dik Atalay a Turk who works with Societe Maritime, SONARA being at the FESTAC village is a positive decision: “I never knew that SONARA commercialises Fuel Oil, which is a product we have difficulties getting from TOTAL and MOBIL.”
Being one of the natural partners of Limbe FESTAC since inception, SONARA has always and will continue to encourage such an initiative, as it brings together people from far and near to the melting pot of culture, Limbe.
Speaking on behalf of the company, Ebong Pende, chief of service for translation and interpretation, lauded the idea of Limbe FESTAC as an opportunity for SONARA to lend a hand: “SONARA, being harboured by Limbe Municipality, saw the Limbe FESTAC which creates a platform for the display of culture, as a means to support and advance cultural diversity. SONARA has pledged to accompany the City Council in its quest to promote culture and national unity.”
Apart from accompanying the City Council, Ebong Pende believes that such a milieu is appropriate for the population to discover what SONARA is and how it operates: “I have always said that all Cameroonians are shareholders of SONARA. We have come to this fourth edition of Limbe FESTAC, to inform the public of the progress of the modernisation and extension program. Like we have had to explain to some of our visitors, if all goes well, the first phase of this project will be completed; and hopefully in the next two years, the second phase will be over.”
Ebong Pende emphasised that the modernisation and extension project will be extremely advantageous for Cameroon: “It is going to create many jobs; SONARA will be able to refine crudes of all types; about 100% of Cameroonian crude will be used and SONARA will also be able to produce tar, amongst others.”
He therefore urged the public to continue to support SONARA so that by the end of this project, not only SONARA workers will benefit from the fall outs; it will be Limbe, South West and Cameroon as whole.
He went on to add that: “I am really excited to have been here; else I would not have known that they have Fuel Oil. This discovery will help me and my company a lot. I am so impressed and will make sure to pass by the refinery for more information.”
SONARA, it should be noted has in all four editions, actively supported, promoted and encouraged arts and culture as well as the City Council financially, physically, materially and morally. The company was very present at the carnival during the opening ceremony on April 8. Its carnival block, which displayed some of its products in their crude and refined states, was graced with Miss SONARA 2017. SONARA equally hosted the evenings of the opening and closing ceremonies, where over one hundred people wined and dined together at the precincts of the SONARA club in Mokundange.