First publish by the Guardian Post Daily Newspaper in February 2019
For a few weeks now in Bamenda, drinking spots have been seen stocking and serving foreign drinks to their clients. This has forced many to change their beer choices as some locally brewed beer brands disappear from the city.
“I am consumer of Castel but since I came here I have been drink Star beer which is a beer I drank when I was in Nigeria. It is a good drink and I love it so much.” Tim Kileyin tells this reporter as he gulp’s another glass in a popular drinking spot in Bamenda.
The next table has a series of mixed bottles with strange names. Then a young man calls the service and demands for another drink. This time the name is strange. “Armored Car” he calls out. Then the serving girl appears with the bottle of a drink name Eagle. Again it is not a drink common in Cameroon. The serving girl will then confirm to me that it is a drink from Nigeria and narrats why it is called armored car. (a story not for today.)
“I am now drinking “armored car” because I cannot see Export which is a drink I love so much. But armored car is strong but I manage and I am beginning to like it.” Another consumer says while his other drinking partners confirm brandishing different beer brands.
On the same table you can see assorted non Cameroonian drinks like Gulder, Hero including Guinness bottles that do not look usual. As I grab the strange Guinness bottle I noticed that instead of the 21years limit that is common in Cameroon, the bottle rather has 18years limit.
“I have been forced to start buying and selling these drinks by boys who came here and said we should not sell Brasseries drinks again. They even came back scattered by crates and destroyed my bottles saying that if they come and see that here again they will kill those drinking the drinks and burn down my shop.” The shop owner (name withheld) tells me.