Pink October lights up Brazzaville
Saturday 25 October in Brazzaville wore the colours of hope as the Lion d’Or Multisport Association transformed the riverfront city into a moving ribbon of pink. The group, headed by former parliamentarian José Cyr Ebina, combined education and exercise to spotlight women’s cancers for Pink October.
While the capital’s morning traffic hummed around Hôtel Saphir, dozens of residents filed into a sun-lit conference room ready to learn. Doctors, nutritionists and communication volunteers stood shoulder to shoulder behind a single message: early detection saves lives, especially for breast and cervical cancers that still claim too many Congolese women.
Doctors break down the risks
On stage, oncologist Dr Mayama N’Sika explained that cancer is not a curse but “cells that refuse the rules.” Her colleague Dr Bénie Ignoumba detailed the invisible triggers—tobacco, alcohol, prolonged sitting, and diets overloaded with sugar—stressing that lifestyle changes can curb risk even with a family history.
Dr Princesse Okiell-Issongo showed the audience how a self-exam travels from armpit to sternum. “The breast starts under the arm,” she noted, inviting every woman to spend five minutes each month feeling for unusual lumps. Every two years after 40, she advised, a mammogram remains indispensable.
Cervical cancer, almost entirely linked to the human papillomavirus, sparked discussion on vaccines often misunderstood in the region. “The HPV shot is safe, free in public centres, and protective for life,” insisted moderator Sabrina Kapinga, who crossed the river from Kinshasa to lend regional solidarity to the debate.
Ten-kilometre march sends loud message
Dawn on Sunday 26 October found roughly sixty walkers and runners gathering near the Marché Total roundabout. Pink bibs, drums and vuvuzelas set the pace as the convoy wound through freshly paved boulevards toward the Stade Marchand. Police motorcycles and Red-Cross riders ensured the route stayed secure.
The event’s most applauded participant, 32-year-old Désiré Okou, ran the full distance guided only by a friend’s elbow and the crowd’s cheers. His presence turned the march into a lesson on inclusion. “Cancer touches everyone; so must our response,” Ebina told journalists over car-park refreshments.
Exercise as preventive medicine
Several runners strapped fitness watches that later displayed 600 burned calories—enough, the doctors joked, to offset a plate of saka-saka. Behind the humour lay science: regular physical activity lowers breast-cancer risk by up to 20 percent, according to World Health Organization figures also quoted during the briefing.
Physical inactivity remains a growing urban challenge, with Brazzaville’s motorcycle-taxi boom shrinking pedestrian space. “Our city plans new green lanes, but citizens must claim them,” urged city sports director Fabien Ngoma, hinting at future community runs linked to public-health campaigns beyond the annual Pink October moment.
From pink to blue and red
Standing under a finish-line inflatable arch, Ebina announced the association’s next targets: Blue November in Pointe-Noire for prostate health, then Red December in Dolisie to reinforce HIV prevention. Volunteers have already mapped routes and contacted local youth choirs to weave music into each awareness sprint.
The leader also revealed plans for a dedicated mammography centre inside the Lion d’Or headquarters in Makélékélé district. Designed in partnership with private clinics, the unit aims to reduce travel costs for women who currently cross the Congo River to Kinshasa or wait months for hospital appointments.
Where to get screened in Brazzaville
Women aged 25 to 65 can obtain a free visual inspection with acetic acid at the Integrated Health Centre of Talangaï every Tuesday morning. Mammograms cost around 25,000 FCFA at Clinique Icare, with sliding scales during October. Mobile screening caravans also rotate through markets such as Ouenzé.
The National Vaccination Programme offers HPV shots to girls aged nine to fourteen at public schools and during annual Child Health Weeks. Parents needing information can call the toll-free number 3434. Doctors remind adults that the vaccine benefits sexually active women up to 26 when available doses permit.
For emotional support, survivors in the “Rose Courage” WhatsApp group organize peer counselling and wig-making workshops each second Saturday at Maman Mambou tea salon. “Beauty stays part of healing,” smiles seamstress-turned-advocate Bertille Samba, who finished Sunday’s walk with a pink headscarf she designed herself.
Community spirit fuels momentum
Local businesses donated water, fruits and T-shirts, while RMP–Exploration filmed a 90-second recap now circulating on TikTok. With internet bundles inexpensive on weekends, the hashtag #BrazzavillePinkOut reached 120,000 views in two days, according to data shared by the digital agency Wakastudio, magnifying medical advice beyond hotel walls.
“The fight continues,” Ebina concluded, echoing his closing words from the stage. For the participants trekking home, the lasting image was not the finish-line banner but the early-morning sun reflecting off pink jerseys—a reminder that vigilance against cancer, like the Congo River itself, must keep flowing every season.
