Overview

Flavours of Influence: The Rise of Cameroon as a Food Power is a groundbreaking work at the intersection of developmental economics and gastro-diplomacy. Co-authored by Serge Lemana Oyono and Dr. Isabelle Antunès, a Sorbonne-educated Developmental Economist, the book calls to reconnect agriculture with culture - ""agri-culture"" as a rigorous economic strategy to reposition local assets within global trade and policy frameworks. Recognized as a ""Best of the Best"" winner at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2025, the book demonstrates how gastronomy can be mobilised as a strategic lever for economic development and international influence. Moving beyond traditional development narratives, the book explores how gastronomy and biodiversity assets can become engines of inclusive, future-oriented economies. Based on the example of Cameroon, it provides a strategic vision for leveraging African cultural and agricultural assets as instruments of national agency and international influence.

Full Product Details

9781764537308

Table of Contents

Reviews

""And yet, African culinary heritage is disappearing rapidly in the face of accelerated rural exodus and globalization. This is precisely why this book holds such vital importance."" - Prof. Jean-Robert Pitte, President of the French Mission for Culinary Heritage and Cultures ""This book is an essential roadmap for food security. It powerfully demonstrates that overcoming malnutrition starts with valuing our local biodiversity and forgotten foods. It sends a strategic signal to unlock Africa's power of self-reliance to feed its own people."" - Chef Christian Abegan, Ambassador for the World Food Programme, Founder of African Culinary Ark ""Flavours of Influence tells us that Asia and Africa have much to learn from each other."" Prof. Paul Teng, Senior Consultant, National Institute of Education International (NIEI) Singapore

Author Information

A Cameroonian diplomat and strategic thinker specializing in African economic development and the geopolitical implications of food systems, focusing on the mobilization of regional assets for international influence. A French-Australian geographer and Developmental Economist trained at the Sorbonne working at the intersection of economic design and institutional strategy. With over two decades of field-based work across Africa and Asia, she champions development as a state of agency-shaped upstream by value recognition and governance. She is a co-recipient of the 2025 Gourmand ""Best of the Best"" award.

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