Food: our sustenance, our identity, our pride

Pathisa Nyathi

Water is life. Food is life; both sustain our bodies whose proportional content is more than 80% water. Science seems to concur with oral traditions that Humankind originated in Africa and for those who care there is ample evidence to justify the claim.

Now indications seem to point to southern Africa as the place where earliest Hominid ancestors developed before dispersal and migration to other continents such as Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas. Africa is the cradle of humanity. Africa is the Motherland.

On May 25, 2022, several gatherings were held to celebrate Africa Day. It was a grand occasion when Africans reflected on the numerous cultural practices beliefs, philosophy, cosmology and worldview which received the well-deserved spotlight. The cultures of the Cradle of Humankind are currently facing onslaught from cultures that seem to dominate the global village that is being created.

While cultural domination is on the ascendancy, there are people who are taking measures to resuscitate African cultures, which are facing onslaught. Many venues hosted Africa Day commemorations. For once, attendees came clad in splendid African attire, danced enchantingly to scintillating African music and celebrated Africa’s cuisines.

I attended one such celebration that was organised by the Methodist High School in Makokoba Township. The secondary school, run by the Wesleyan Methodist Church, is recently established and is working tooth and nail to propel its image from an institution that was characterised as a non-formal educational institution.

Various dishes such as umxhanxa, inhloko, pumpkin, and various fruits from the wild were on offer. The methods of cooking were African. It was a welcome departure from exotic dishes that have been dominating the culinary traditions in the food sector.

I am on record as lamenting the fact that our cuisines are not receiving sufficient attention from us. I seized the opportunity once again to reiterate the much-harped call. I look forward to the day when our indigenous fruits will find their way into the urban supermarkets. Umtshwankela, uxakuxaku, umsosobiyana and umbumbulu, inter alia, are relegated to the Shasha Market at eRenkini, 4th Avenue and other less conspicuous markets.

It is a well-known fact that our food is the least adopted in the entire world. We have observed that African dishes are not being served aboard African airlines during flights. This is true of all African airlines. For them traditional food is reserved for rural areas and persons of a low socio-economic status. This confirms the low status to which as Africans we have been relegated.

Those who are supposed to be the torchbearers are the greatest culprits of shunning our cuisines. Iconic figures in our communities ought to be the pacesetters. That way, there is a possibility that adoption will become a reality.

Together with Makhosi Mahlangu and others, we penned a book titled “Food, Our Culture, Our Heritage.” In it, we detailed the various traditional dishes of the Ndebele people. I wrote two chapters, one on the history of the Ndebele people and another on food as a cultural expression.

Food is an important marker of communities’ identities beyond providing their nuitrition. The diverse dishes among Zimbabwe’s various ethnic groups bear testimony to the fact that under different historical developments and different environments new cuisines are developed which are adapted to the unique environments.

The manner, in which food is cultivated, harvested, preserved and prepared, is a pointer to developing diversities. Further, how dishes are prepared and served is a carrier of cultural identities. Even the utensils and pots bring forth uniqueness in the varied communities. When local dishes are given attention, this amounts to recognition of the people together with their culture.

In the end, we build a united though diverse Zimbabwean society that shares a common vision that serves as a uniting force that makes some considerable contribution towards minimising centrifugal forces that tend to tear apart a nation state.

Of late, we have witnessed the First Lady Mrs Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa devoting a lot of time, energy and effort towards giving space to the revival of cuisines of the various ethnic groups in Zimbabwe. It was good to see that the once neglected San people in Bulilima and Tsholotsho districts were taken on board. Their dishes were highlighted and their women participated in the nation-wide competitions, which culminated in the finals that were held at Victoria Falls.

The press gave publicity to the venture.

The competitions gave a new impetus to traditional cuisines. We can only hope that the effort will bring in another dimension, one that seeks to give the young generation that seems to shun our healthy dishes that are the pride of our communities and link us with our past. I only hope that the cuisines of the different communities will be documented so that we have a comprehensive account and narratives of our national dishes.

Whereas there may be some diversities, there are crosscutting issues that bring to the fore our common food heritage and the challenges regarding low uptake of our traditional dishes An imaginative and well-illustrated book could serve as a veritable record of the effort that started at the lowest level and culminated at the national level-at Victoria Falls.

I imagine a well thought out parallel digital rendition of the journey travelled. Such footprints, deeply etched in the sands of history may well provide stimuli and motivation to other players so that African cuisines take their rightful places in the world food market. At the same time, the bolstered venture might lead to the development of a food-based thriving and lucrative tourism sector.

Such would be considerations of food in its basic primary function as a provider of nutrition. There is real scope for other dimensions such as artistic renditions. Recently I saw the efforts of one creative artist who developed an art on watermelons, something that many of us would never have thought of.

Cultivating and sustaining visibility of our culinary traditions on the global village and market demands undivided attention and effort with all zeal, commitment and dedication. It can be done! Developing and intensifying efforts towards resuscitating lost identities is critically important.

Our culinary traditions must find their way into the global village. This requires men and women who are committed, dedicated and have the requisite conviction that they and their ways are not inferior.