An experienced Cameroonian welder, who worked in a dozen African countries to manufacture huge vats of beer, left his wife and seven children behind to come and develop his expertise here.
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“I came to Quebec to discover new technologies and improve myself,” confides to Newspaper in a calm tone Kenfak Djeubeng Antoine Blondo, who participated in the construction of breweries in Africa before being recruited by the tank truck manufacturer Tremcar, in Saint-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu.
At Tremcar, welders earn between $55,000 and $110,000 per year, depending on experience, availability and evening bonuses.
“I might miss family from time to time, but it’s not that bad,” he says philosophically, placing his gloves on the table for the interview. In his voice, we feel that his children are never far away. His youngest is eight years old. His oldest is in his early twenties.
Kenfak Djeubeng Antoine Blondo is a valuable asset to Tremcar which manufactures stainless steel and aluminum tank trailers for the North American market.
Photo Francis Halin
Like him, tens of thousands of them each year tear themselves away from their old lives to settle in Quebec.
Nearly 10,000 kilometers from his hometown, Kenfak Djeubeng Antoine Blondo calls himself “Blondo” on the factory floor. His colleagues love him.
In his new city, the senior welder lives in an apartment in Vieux Saint-Jean. He lives with “two brothers”, two welders from Cameroon, who are good friends and who have known each other on various African construction sites in recent years.
Kenfak Djeubeng Antoine Blondo is not his first contracts abroad. He has traveled to a dozen African countries, which makes him an experienced welder.
Photo Francis Halin
Accommodation is at their expense. Tremcar helps them get set up and provides them with one car per group of employees.
In 2018, The newspaper had told the story of Tremcar which was tired of refusing tens of millions of dollars in contracts each year due to lack of labor and which had decided to rent a school in Tunisia to train around fifty missing welders.
These precious welders are still working on the factory floor and others, like Blondo, have just set foot in Quebec.
French language
When asked how the integration is going so far, Blondo replies that he is used to lugging his life from country to country for around twenty years.
“I previously worked in Gabon, Madagascar, Congo, South Africa, Guinea Conakry, Equatorial Guinea… almost all of Africa in major projects,” says the 37-year-old father of the family. ‘a calm voice.
“Cameroon is bilingual. We speak French and English,” he concludes, before putting his mask back on to weld a part.