Lights, music and purpose in Brazzaville
Brazzaville sparkled on 26 November as the second Elombé charity night filled a riverside hall with music, auction paddles and blue-tinted lights. The evening, masterminded by the association Marcher Courir Pour La Cause, aimed to raise more francs CFA for the fight against diabetes that worries doctors nationwide.
Guests moved between photo walls and glucose-testing booths, reminded that the event’s name, drawn from the Lingala word for progress, carries a promise: no Congolese should be left without screening or advice. Organisers reported a sold-out crowd of entrepreneurs, diplomats, athletes and students eager to contribute that night.
Diabetes sounds the alarm
Health officials used the microphone to paint the stakes. Diabetes affects an estimated ten percent of urban adults, yet many cases remain silent. ‘This is a citizen issue,’ underlined Professor Donatien Moukassa, chief of staff at the Ministry of Health, urging a collective push to prevent complications nationwide.
According to MCPLC’s field teams, fewer than one in five people tested during last year’s roadshows could explain how to manage blood sugar. The association therefore mixes walking events, football tournaments and live music with on-the-spot counselling, betting that entertainment softens fear around medical checks for many participants.
Corporate muscle joins the cause
The National Petroleum Company of Congo, represented by its managing director Maixent Raoul Ominga, pledged renewed sponsorship. ‘This battle cannot be won alone,’ he declared, inviting firms still on the sidelines to match SNPC in cash, logistics or communication space so screening caravans cover every district next year.
Telecom operators quietly handed envelopes while local breweries offered branded sportswear for upcoming awareness races. Several start-ups promised free app development to schedule community testing. The result, organisers say, is a widening coalition that gives MCPLC both the resources and the visibility previously reserved for bigger NGOs worldwide.
Unicongo president Michel Djombo translated the buzz into a moral appeal. He urged guests to leave the ballroom determined to build health habits at home and at work. ‘We all have the power, but also the duty, to act together,’ he reminded them before the main auction began.
Local leaders offer concrete support
One of the night’s loudest ovations greeted Rodrigue Dinga Mbomi, mayor of Madingou, who signed over an 800-square-metre downtown plot for a future Sport-and-Health House. ‘With this title deed comes an obligation of results,’ he smiled, inviting applause from dancers representing every arrondissement present on the festive stage.
The first such house, finished last year in Poto-Poto thanks to Elombé’s debut edition, already hosts aerobics classes and nurse-led workshops on foot care, a frequent complication of diabetes. Users interviewed by national television said the facility demystifies exercise by placing treadmills next to open courtyards for families.
WHO and ministry eye hard data
World Health Organisation epidemiologist Dr Vincent Dossou Sodjinou saluted the cross-sector momentum and announced technical backing for Congo’s first nationwide diabetes prevalence survey. ‘We still lack hard numbers,’ he noted, calling accurate data the cornerstone of any smart prevention policy likely to impress international donors and private investors.
Ministry officials said questionnaires and finger-stick tests could begin as early as March, pending procurement. MCPLC volunteers plan to join the field teams, turning each sampling station into a mini-fair with music and healthy snacks, a format tested successfully in Brazzaville markets during World Diabetes Day last November.
Blueprint for new health hubs
Inside the ballroom, a giant screen scrolled architectural drawings of two additional centres planned for Oyo and Dolisie. The estimated budget of 300 million francs CFA covers gyms, consultation rooms and rooftop gardens for urban agriculture classes meant to inspire low-cost, low-sugar cooking among surrounding neighbourhoods next year.
Project manager Grâce Malonga explained that each site will partner with local schools, allowing pupils to complete physical-education credits and learn to grow moringa leaves rich in vitamins. ‘We want prevention to start in childhood, before medical bills crush families later,’ she told reporters during the media briefing.
Prizes, songs and a record tally
Weeks of preparation climaxed with a raffle offering bicycles, tablets and a weekend in Pointe-Noire. Between draws, a choir from Talangaï sang a Lingala adaptation of ‘Stand by Me’, encouraging the audience to wave phone torches, an image already trending on Congolese social networks before midnight finale fireworks.
The jury then honoured eight partners for exemplary engagement, including an insurance firm that now covers HbA1c tests in its basic package. Laureates received carved wooden antelopes symbolising resilience. ‘This trophy reminds us society runs best on healthy legs,’ joked master of ceremonies Destin Mouyabi to loud applause.
As guests stepped outside, organisers confirmed a provisional total of 185 million francs CFA, surpassing last year’s haul by thirty percent. ‘We will account transparently for every cent,’ MCPLC president Arnaud Makouanzi promised, adding that donations remain open online for supporters unable to attend during the coming weeks.
