Jovanovic Ondobo, Secretary General of the Municipality of Mengueme and an official within the decentralized local government sector, is tasked with meeting tourism professionals and tourism boards from around the world at the IFTM 2026 trade show accompanied by Yvette Mamgue (CEO of UBT Agency ) to find partners capable of showcasing Cameroon.
Having traveled to Paris from his hometown of Mengueme, Jovanovic Ondobo who was hosted by the UBT agency at the 2026 IFTM trade show attended this year’s global tourism event as a visitor, contrasting with 2025 when he ran an exhibition stand under the UBT banner. He also accepted an invitation to be interviewed by our journalist Alexandra Willemin, using the opportunity to promote his municipality of Mengueme and neighboring regions in Cameroon. His message was clear: his primary objective was to participate in the major global tourism trade show, IFTM an event renowned as the ideal venue for B2B meetings, reserved exclusively for industry professionals rather than the general public. Jovanovic Ondobo thus accepted our invitation to answer questions from our journalist, who specializes in travel, culture, tourism, gastronomy, and more.
The IFTM 2026 trade show an ideal venue for networking, seeking collaborations, and holding specialized meetings was the choice made by the municipality of Mengueme to promote its territory and expand its networks.
Following this meeting, Jovanovic Ondobo focused squarely on his local area, seeking to cultivate relationships for the benefit of Mengueme and acting swiftly to address his municipality’s needs. He spent two days traversing the vast exhibition which hosts nearly 10,000 exhibitors and millions of trade visitors connecting with exhibitors to expand his network and identifying potential partners, aiming to leave with concrete results or promising future collaborations. He concluded the event full of hope, armed with business cards and happy memories, having successfully found exactly what he was looking for after two days of searching and meetings.
From Cameroon to Paris and from Paris to Fécamp—meaningful encounters that paved the way for a cross-cultural project.
The year 2026 marks a genuine new beginning for the municipality of Mengueme; despite the challenges it faces in promoting its territory internationally due to a lack of funding and notwithstanding the fact that French-speaking Cameroon is one of France’s primary partners in cultural exchange a promising opportunity has emerged. This development came about through a resident of Fécamp who was attending the IFTM trade show for the second year running. He facilitated a meeting with Fécamp Mayor David Roussel, who happily agreed to welcome Jovanovic Ondobo and Yvette Mamgue. The meeting took place in the town hall’s wedding chamber which also serves as the municipal council meeting room where the group engaged in a productive exchange of ideas regarding a potential event concept linking Fécamp and Cameroon. Following this meeting with the Mayor, Jovanovic and Yvette had the perfect opportunity to attend an evening event on the history of fishing at the Musée de La Pêcherie, thanks to an impromptu invitation from Fécamp’s majority council members. It was an ideal moment for them to discover the museum, view historical images of Fécamp’s fishermen of the past, and listen to the association’s presentation.
Not to mention the chance encounter with the Director of the Fécamp MJC a wonderful surprise that was incredibly enriching from a cultural standpoint.
Following a spontaneous invitation from a local councilor in Fécamp’s majority party, Jovanovic and Yvette met with the director of the Fécamp MJC (Youth and Culture Center). The meeting sparked a lively exchange of constructive cultural ideas; the director invited them to the upcoming “Solidarity Day” event. However, finding the timeframe too short to prepare for this year’s edition, they decided to aim for the 2027 event instead, allowing them time to get better organized. They were delighted by the proposal and agreed to participate in 2027, promising to share some wonderful surprises. The discussion went beyond a single event, however; the MJC director, who is very familiar with Cameroon, offered to help enrich the project originally conceived by Yvette Mamgue. He plans to leverage his network of partners to support Jovanovic and Yvette, ensuring the large-scale event has a strong educational focus and enhancing the planned activities to guarantee the success of this multicultural initiative.
How will this large-scale “Fécamp – Cameroon” event be funded?
This preliminary project is already sparking curiosity among the people of Fécamp and, crucially, is attracting interest from municipalities neighboring Mengueme to fund the event. Jovanovic and Yvette do not wish to take advantage of the municipality of Fécamp’s generosity; instead, they prefer the event to be funded by Cameroonian municipalities and merchants eager to promote local products—such as traditional Cameroonian clothing and cuisine, as well as introductions to Cameroonian dance and music—alongside other initiatives. At the same time, they are inviting merchants and associations from Fécamp to seize this opportunity for cultural exchange, allowing them to showcase the city, its culture, and its local products. The result will be an event rich in culture and tourism, funded entirely by the participating Cameroonian municipalities and merchants. Merchants and associations from Fécamp, as well as the municipality itself, will incur no costs. This is the primary objective behind the operational and funding strategy for the project, which is scheduled to take place in 2027.
The next day, the adventure continued in Fécamp with a memorable morning shared with the Dundée Indépendant association.
The next day, a local resident from Fécamp decided to take them to the Dundée Indépendant association, introducing them to true experts in the art of smoking herring and mackerel. It was at the Boucane the association’s headquarters on Rue des Prés that Jovanovic and Yvette discovered a smoking method distinct from the Cameroonian tradition. Through this exchange regarding Fécamp’s culinary specialties, the association members and their president shared the history of smoked herring and described events like the Herring Festival, explaining how the fish is smoked over an open hearth (or “smokehouse”) using beechwood to enhance the flavor. Although a live demonstration wasn’t possible as the process requires significant advance preparation the Dundée Indépendant association gifted each of them a bag of homemade smoked herring, crafted by true masters of the smokehouse; they also enjoyed a tasting session, savoring authentic smoked herring sliced properly on a wooden board. It was a delicious experience that allowed them to appreciate the rich aroma of the smoked herring and enjoy every bite. Jovanovic and Yvette spent the rest of the morning touring the Dundée Indépendant smokehouse, viewing vintage photographs of past artisans and the facility as it looked in the old days, as well as admiring large-scale ship models and artworks by an artist who had exhibited at the site.
A tour ranging from the Bénédictine Museum to the landscapes of Fécamp, taking in the port and the sea.
After enjoying some smoked herring at La Boucane, they were invited by a local resident to tour the Palais de la Bénédictine, the cliffs, and the beach by car. Acting as a guide, the local took them to the top of the Cap Fagnet cliffs to visit historical sites including bunkers and the chapel and to admire the magnificent view. This gave Yvette and Jovanovic the chance to capture memorable photos of Fécamp. Accompanied by their local guide, they continued their tour by heading toward the sea and the harbor. They enjoyed the scent of seaweed, breathed in the fresh Fécamp air, and explored the harbor and its sailboats, while also taking a break at the “Le Celtique” bar and tobacconist. Another local resident introduced them to a restaurant run by a native of the town who was well-versed in Fécamp’s culinary heritage and history; Jovanovic and Yvette dined at Restaurant La Grillade, where the resident recommended the salt cod brandade for one and homemade fish soup for the other, followed by delicious wood-fired meat. Their stay concluded on a high note, leaving them with fond memories of Fécamp and ready to work on the upcoming event project scheduled to take place in the town.
- The local residents who accompanied them wished to remain anonymous but took great pleasure in sharing their town and guiding the visitors during their time in Fécamp.
