From an initial meeting in 2018 to a partnership that has grown over the years, the relationship between the Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco – Life Beyond Tourism and Cameroon shows how cultural heritage can bring people, institutions and territories together, creating opportunities for mutual understanding, dialogue and cooperation.
A relationship that began in Florence
The story began in February 2018, when the Foundation organised the “Training of Trainers Seminar on Life Beyond Tourism” in Florence. Among the participants was Paul Alain Gbaman, representing the Urban Community of Bertoua, in eastern Cameroon.
The seminar was part of a collaboration established the previous year between the Foundation and UCLG Africa (United Cities and Local Governments of Africa), following an initial meeting in Baku during the 4th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue. In August 2017, the relationship was formalised in Florence with the signing of a Memorandum with Secretary General Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi.
Through this network, and with the support of Najat Zarrouk, Director of ALGA – the African Local Government Academy, local government representatives from ten African countries came to Florence in 2018. The relationship with Bertoua began in this context and continued well beyond the seminar itself.
In the years that followed, Gbaman remained in contact with the Foundation and promoted Life Beyond Tourism activities locally. The relationship continued to develop and, on 30 May 2022, led to the signing of an agreement between the Foundation and the Bertoua City Council in Florence, with Mayor Jean-Marie Sodéa Dimbélé.
Bertoua tells the story of its heritage
With the agreement in place, the institutional relationship increasingly developed into activities focusing on Bertoua and its cultural heritage.
Bertoua took part in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 editions of The World in Florence, the international initiative promoted by the Foundation, and hosted Florence in the World in 2022.
In June 2023, the partnership took a further step with “SHE – Storytelling for Heritage Enhancement”, a programme held in Florence for the Urban Community of Bertoua. The programme focused on understanding and communicating tangible and intangible heritage, and on using storytelling as a way to involve local communities and convey the identity of a place.
This work led to the creation of the Luoghi Parlanti of Bertoua, centred on ten expressions of local heritage: from the historical and mythological figure of King Mbartoua to the MOINAM festival, the Cathedral of the Holy Family, the Central Mosque and Sembe Lecco Park, as well as the indigenous peoples of the East Region, rites of passage and local traditions.
The relationship with Cameroon has since extended beyond Bertoua. In 2024, the network grew to include the municipalities of Douala and Lom-et-Djerem.
Gifts that tell a story
The relationship has also left tangible traces. A number of objects donated by the Urban Community of Bertoua are now kept at Palazzo Coppini, the Foundation’s headquarters, alongside items received over the years from institutions, communities and individuals from around the world.
They include an ebony elephant, donated in November 2022 by Mayor Jean-Marie Sodéa Dimbélé, two decorative ebony tusks and several handcrafted works from Bertoua.
Each of these objects is connected to a particular encounter and to the people involved. As part of the Foundation’s collections, they continue to tell the story of the place they came from and of the relationship through which they reached Florence.
From Cameroon to Heritage for Building Peace
Years after that first meeting in Florence, the dialogue continues. Representatives from Cameroon have endorsed the international “Heritage for Building Peace” Appeal, promoted by the Foundation to draw attention to the role heritage can play in fostering mutual understanding, dialogue and peacebuilding.
Their endorsement is part of a story that began long before the Appeal itself: a story shaped by encounters, training, institutional relationships, projects and exchanges between territories.
It is also a practical example of what cultural diplomacy means to the Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco – Life Beyond Tourism: not a one-off event, but a relationship built over time, through heritage and the people who keep it alive.
