Have you ever travelled to the 54 countries in Africa?
I did it. — but in a somewhat special way.
Three years ago, I undertook a unique journey: a journey through imagination.
For 30 days, from 1 to 30 May 2022, on the occasion of World Day for Africa, I decided to travel symbolically each of the member countries of the African Union, with a simple objective: to highlight our wealth.
Every day, I stopped in a different country to explore three essential dimensions, those which, in my opinion, form the heart of every real tourist experience:
- Cultural heritage: traditions, languages, know-how, rites, music, arts
- Natural heritage: landscapes, parks, mountains, deserts, coastlines, biodiversity
- The kitchen: typical dishes, local ingredients, culinary gestures, hospitality
It is these three pillars that make each territory unique and give the journey its deepest meaning.
🏛️ African heritage: beautiful, but fragile
Africa is rich, immensely rich.
Yet it is also fragile.
39% of the assets registered in Africa are currently classified as at risk.
And only 12% of UNESCO's world heritage is on our continent.
The main threats are known:
- Climate change
- Uncontrolled urban development
- Braking
- Political conflicts and instability
So preserving our heritage is not just a cultural issue: it is a collective responsibility to future generations.
African cultural heritage is an exceptional asset 🌍✨. Through its thousands of peoples and languages, the continent offers a unique diversity of traditions, know-how and artistic expressions. Sacred Masks 🎭 iconic fabrics such as kente or bogolan 👗, going through ancestral music and dances 🥁💃, each community carries a history that goes through time.
Peoples such as Bamileké, Peul, Yoruba, Massai or Akan embody this living creativity 🌿, made up of deeply rooted rites, narratives and lifestyles. Much more than a heritage, this heritage today nourishes contemporary arts, ecotourism and the identity of younger generations. 🎨🌱.
🍽️ African cuisine: an ongoing revival
Good news: African cuisine is in full swing.
All over the continent:
- People value their local products
- Chefs reinvent traditional recipes
- Markets, guest tables and restaurants become areas of identity
Kitchen is a bridge between peoples.
It tells territories, seasons, stories, memories.
It is also a powerful engine of tourism.
✨ This inner journey learned one thing
We don't need to be rich, fly or go far to travel.
Sometimes it's enough to change your eyes.
Travelling is:
- Explore history and cultures
- Wondering at the Living
- Sharing a meal easily
- And above all, to recognize the value of what we already have.
What about Cameroon in all this?
Cameroon occupies a special place in this inner journey. Often called « Africa in miniature »It offers in one country the natural, cultural and gastronomic diversity of the continent.
From the Atlantic beaches of Kribi to the mountains of the West, from the savannahs of the Far North to the dense forest of the South, Cameroon condenses a palette of atmospheres, languages, flavours and landscapes that make it a real living summary of Africa.
Voyager au Cameroun, c’est déjà voyager à travers l’Afrique.
#simpleasasmile
#tourismafricaunity
#PatrimoineAfricain #CuisineAfricaine #VoyagerAutrement #AfriqueEnMouvement
