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Nqobile Tshili-Bulawayo Bureau
GROWING up in Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North, Ms Silendeni Nyoni thought that eating traditional food was a sign of poverty.
It had not dawned on her that one day she would use her childhood experiences in a cookout competition whose brainchild is First Lady Dr Auxilia Mnangagwa.
Ms Nyoni yesterday came first in Matabeleland North provincial cookout competition which was held by Young Women 4 Economic Development (Young Women 4 ED).
Young Women 4 ED are running the competition inspired by Amai Mnangagwa cookout competition that is making traditional foods more acceptable even among young people.
Young women from Lupane, Nkayi, Binga and Hwange districts participated in the competition.
They prepared several traditional dishes including umxhanxa, isitshwala from sorghum and millet, amasi and dried vegetables.
The young women also presented various deserts from traditional fruits including uxakuxaku, umviyo, umsosobiyana, baobab fruit to mention a few.
They also prepared traditional beer (umqombothi) among other things.
The finals for the competition are expected to be held in Bulawayo on September 14.
The winner will be capacitated to start a traditional cuisine restaurant.
Young Women 4 ED emulated the traditional foods competition after the First Lady launched the initiative to encourage citizens to eat traditional foods as a way of preserving cultural heritage.
Ms Nyoni said as young women they are learning to embrace traditional foods, challenging stereotypes that home grown foods are the people.
“In my family we were considered poor and we used to eat ujayezi. So for this competition we decided to cook the traditional meal which I used to eat, uhayezi with amasi and it is my winning dish. I also made umqombothi which is a traditional opaque beer which is popular in rural areas. So this is what I came to compete with and I’m excited to be representing Young Women 4 ED Matabeleland North in the finals to be held in Bulawayo,” said Ms Nyoni.
She said other young women from Tsholotsho will be inspired as she will be representing.
“Today we have learnt a lot of lessons that the traditional foods we eat at home are not just for the poor but are nutritious as well. We thank the First Lady for bringing spotlight to the traditional foods which are also organic,” she said.
Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Minister Dr Sithembiso Nyoni, who was the guest during the event, said it is crucial to embrace traditional foods as promoted by the First Lady.
She said the cook out competition promotes value addition to local food cuisines which are now being commercialised.
“It is very important to embrace our traditional dishes because they don’t just taste good but they also heal. What we eat is also medicinal. We don’t eat processed meals,” said Dr Nyoni.
“We also have drinks that are made from natural trees, natural seeds and natural herbs so our traditional foods the way to go because it heals, it also strengthens our bodies and also makes us go back to valuing our resource base, to valuing our crops, to valuing our own indigenous trees and fruits. If you don’t value add what you have it gets out of fashion. But if you value add it, you also bring new ideas to what you will be doing.”
She said having Young Women 4 ED embracing Amai Mnangagwa’s cookout competition means there is continuity in the programme which is key in cultural preservation.
“They are the mothers of the future and these are young women with young children with babies. Remember there was a time in the 1960s and 1970s where babies were dying because of artificial milk and children were dying. But this is very good because the woman knows what kind of drinks to give children because their mothers taught them. Let us not look down at indigenous knowledge that is passed from generation to generation. It is good because our young mothers know the plants or fruits that we need to prepare for our children so that they are healthy,” she said.
Dr Nyoni encouraged young women to be innovative in coming up with programmes that will spur economic development as they also carry President Mnangagwa’s vision for economic development.
Young Women 4 ED Matabeleland North provincial chairperson Cde Norah Dube commended Amai Mnangagwa for her vision in making traditional foods more acceptable even among young people.
“This programme is reminding us to go back to our roots. As young people we had shunned from our cultural values especially relating to the foods that we eat for westernised foods. But this competition is taking us back to those basics. We now appreciate the importance of traditional foods and they are also nutritious,” said Dube.
The event was also attended by Deputy Speaker of Parliament Cde Tatenda Mavetera who is among the organisers for Young Women 4 ED who encouraged youthful women to work together in promoting the President’s vision.
She said they are on a drive to recruit first time voters through the empowerment programme.
She said districts that lost should work closely with their counterparts who won as the aim of the competition is to capacitate young women.
Online Reporter