This rapprochement follows an institutional mission that allowed for the deepening of diplomatic relations and the identification of cooperation opportunities, with a particular focus on enhancing the cocoa production value chain. The initiative is part of the municipality's international affirmation strategy, which seeks to transform its cultural and tourism assets into platforms for economic development.
The mission included contacts with the Embassy of Ivory Coast in Portugal, the Embassy of Portugal in Ivory Coast, the Coffee-Cocoa Council, district representatives, and the Ivorian Ministries of Tourism and Trade and Handicrafts. Visits were made to production, processing, and local resource promotion sites, such as Domaine Bini, the Abidjan Arts Market, and Chocovivi.
The partnership is particularly relevant for Óbidos Criativa, the entity responsible for organizing the Óbidos International Chocolate Festival. The goal is to deepen the event's international dimension and enhance its differentiation. According to Pedro Rodrigues, Chairman of the Board of Óbidos Criativa, this rapprochement represents a strategic opportunity to bring the festival closer to the origin of its main raw material and to the territories that play a decisive role in the global chocolate economy.
Pedro Rodrigues emphasizes the importance of developing a programming model that values cultural diversity, innovation, and knowledge associated with the sector, aiming for a more distinctive festival that integrates knowledge, artistic creation, and cultural exchange.
The approach to Ivory Coast could lead to the participation of producers, specialists, chefs, artists, and institutional representatives from that country in future editions of the festival. For Ricardo Duque, vice-president of the Óbidos Municipal Council, the partnership goes beyond event organization, fitting into a broader vision of territorial development and international affirmation.
Ricardo Duque highlights the economic and geostrategic importance of Ivory Coast and the opportunity for cooperation between the two territories, which can encompass tourism, culture, economy, training, and knowledge transfer.
The partnership is based on the vision of chocolate as a link between economies, cultures, and territories. While Ivory Coast is a central cocoa producer, Óbidos has consolidated a cultural and tourism identity linked to chocolate through its festival. This complementarity aims to bring raw material producers closer to agents involved in transformation and cultural valorization, and could also increase the presence of African cultural expressions at the festival.
This internationalization strategy seeks to consolidate Óbidos as a territory of culture, knowledge, and international relations, fostering the creation of cooperation networks, attracting knowledge, and generating economic opportunities. The connection through chocolate takes on a new dimension: that of an instrument of cultural diplomacy, economic cooperation, and international affirmation.
