Djiboutian Bazaar visits Camp Lemonnier

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Jared Walker | CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – U.S. service members and base personnel took part in the Djiboutian Bazaar at Camp Lemonnier’s 11 Degrees North May 6, which helped support the local Djiboutian economy.  

CAMP LEMONNIER, DJIBOUTI

05.06.2018

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jared Walker 

Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti

CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – Base personnel, local nationals and U.S. service members attended the Camp Lemonnier Djiboutian Bazaar, May 6.

The bazaar occurs semi-annually, once in the spring and once in the fall. In recent years, it has been a great way to support the local economy, but also provides an opportunity for attendees to purchase gifts for themselves, their friends and family.

Sunday, May 6 marked the eighth bazaar coordinated by the Army Civil Affairs Battalion and Camp Lemonnier personnel. It was also the first time U.S Ambassador to Djibouti, Ambassador Larry Edward André attended.

“I am here today to give support to the bazaar. The military service members don’t often get an opportunity to get beyond the wire to get mementos and souvenirs from Djibouti,” said André. “This is a great opportunity for Djibouti to come to them instead.”

In addition to supporting the U.S. troops, André said that the bazaar strengthens not only the U.S. – Djiboutian relations but is also a huge impact on the local Djiboutian economy.

“The Djiboutian’s benefit from our presence in many different ways. Some have jobs here on base and some sell their goods at the bazaar,” said André. “This helps me as a diplomat see that we have all of our agreements with Djibouti, in regards to the U.S. military, fully observed and applied, and that the partnership between the U.S. and Djibouti continues to meet our shared goals.”

It wasn’t only Americans that were impressed by the bazaar, but also Djiboutian locals as well. Many months of planning by the U.S. military and local residents have gone into making this event a success.

“The bazaar taking place on base is very important. This is an opportunity for us to show our culture to the world,” said Ide Mohammad Abdillahi, Project Manager for the Enhancing Income Opportunities Project and first time attendee of the bazaar. “The handicraft present here today is a part of our culture. By having the bazaar, we are able to share our culture with the Americans but also learn about their culture too!”

In November 2017, the bazaar raised $60k. Sunday’s event brought in over $58k to local vendors. With these two bazaar taking place, roughly $119k was put into the local Djiboutian economy.

Those that attended the event also had the opportunity to pet and take photos with a camel from the local Deacon Wildlife Refuge. The camel itself brought in a little over $500.

Action officer, Army Capt. Kyle Collins with Alpha Company, 407th Civil Affairs Battalion, said this year’s bazaar included 16 vendors that worked from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and sold items such as jewelry, statutes, picture frames and even henna tattoos.

“The vendors are wonderful. They showed up on time and have been really motivated throughout the day to sell their merchandise. This has been a great experience all around,” said Collins.

Another aspect of the bazaar was the base personnel that volunteered to help out with the vendors throughout the day. Overall there were 105 volunteers who worked in four shifts.

“This bazaar was a success,” said Yeoman 1st Class Tanya Morrow, volunteer coordinator for the bazaar. “All the volunteers showed up on time and [assisted at] their respective locations as well.”

Even the volunteers at the bazaar were excited about participating at the bazaar. First time bazaar attendee and volunteer, Builder 1st Class Raymond Rankins, said he really enjoyed the experience.

“My favorite part of the bazaar was interacting with the people, both base personnel and the Djiboutians,” said Rankins. “There are a lot of customers here and a lot of customer-vendor interaction going on with many people looking around for what they need.”

To put on a bazaar like this takes the coordination of many departments within the base and off the installation. The Camp Lemonnier security, public works and logistics teams were exceptional in providing support with getting merchandise and vendors on base for the full-day event. The U.S. Embassy Djibouti and Djiboutian Chamber of Commerce also played a role in assisting in the success. The U.S. Embassy of Djibouti staff spent over 100 hours finding vendors, associations, and visited sites with Camp Lemonnier personnel. Moreover, they helped vendors fill out all the forms necessary for base clearance. Coordination must run through the Embassy to ensure vendors were vetted properly.

Camp Lemonnier is one of Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia, installations that conducts six lines of operation to support air operations, port operations, safety, security, quality of life, and what is called the core: the fuels, water and power that keep the bases operating.

Camp Lemonnier’s mission includes enabling joint warfighters operating forward and to reinforce the U.S. – Djibouti relationship by providing exceptional services and facilities for the tenant commands, transient U.S. assets and service members.

• Date Taken: 05.06.2018
• Date Posted: 05.12.2018 12:18
• Story ID: 276834
• Location: CAMP LEMONNIER, DJ