Installed along the avenues, roads and alleys, small restaurants and maquis are developing in all districts of Bangui and offer local recipes to the delight of consumers. Except that with the dry season, some roads in the capital being made of laterite, the passage of vehicles, motorcycles and pedestrians causes dust on food products, which can cause numerous diseases. For most customers, turning away from these restaurants is impossible, as the prices are very affordable.
From our correspondent in Bangui,
In a laterite alley in the heart of the Malimaka district in the fifth arrondissement of Banguimakeshift restaurants are springing up like mushrooms. Installed between a gutter and a public dump, Pélagie’s restaurant is exposed to all types of danger. “ To practice this business, you have to be strong, says Pélagie. I installed these old curtains as well as these pieces of loincloths to cover the scrub. Here I sell cassava leaves, roast chicken, smoked fish and gnetum. I realize it’s an unsanitary place, but we’ll make do for now. »
In this maquis, consumers sit on benches, next to each other. “ I can’t afford to go to fancy restaurants, confides Juliano, who has just placed his order. Every day, I eat in this bush. As you see, there is mud on one side, garbage on the other, not forgetting the dogs passing between our legs. Food is not protected despite dust. What interests me is being satisfied. The price of dishes varies between 350 and 500 FCFA. »
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Serious consequences for health
If the price of these dishes does not exceed 1 euro, the health consequences are sometimes dramatic for certain customers. “ I was hospitalized for several weeks. Typhoid fever almost killed me, testifies Jonathan, fell ill in 2023. Passing vehicles kick up dust and emit toxic fumes. Even the plates used to serve customers are sometimes poorly cleaned. After my recovery two years ago, I resolved to no longer eat in unhealthy bushes. »
Jean-Christian Amédée Mandjeka, nutritionist, confirms that the lack of hygiene in public restaurants can be the cause of food poisoning : « These foods can be a source of contamination for the consumer — the dust that settles on food when it is not protected, people passing by and coughing, tuberculosis, direct transmission through breathing, saliva , etc. These black spots are in fact carcinogenic substances that can settle in the lungs, in the respiratory tract, etc., and they are poisons for ordinary consumers. »
While waiting for severe measures to be put in place, Bangui town hall and the Central African Ministry of Health continue to raise awareness among the owners of these restaurants about respecting hygiene practices.
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