Thousands turned up at the Unity Palace to honour the invitation of the presidential couple to round off the 43rd National Day festivities on May 20, 2015.

Guests who answered present to the invitation of the presidential couple, Paul and Chantal Biya, at the Unity Palace yesterday May 20 for a State House Reception were in thousands.

The fine weather that characterized the military and civilian parades at the 20th May Boulevard in downtown Yaounde continued in the evening, offering the visitors the opportunity to commune with the presidential couple.

Even before the gates of Unity Palace were flunked open 5 pm as planned, there were long queues at the entrance, with each guest struggling to get in to catch a glimpse of their host and possibly shake hands with them.

And when Paul and Chantal Biya made their way into the Banquet Hall of the Unity Palace which was already jammed to capacity with the excited guests moving in almost all directions. While some struggled to shake hands, others fought to get souvenir photos.

Even in the garden where other visitors were entertained, the atmosphere was the same. The smiling presidential couple moved round, shaking hands and chatting with the visitors as they moved.

Here, national unity was on display as there was neither race nor culture but all Cameroonians and friends all united behind one leader to surmount challenges of the time.