adminNkosilesisa Ncube, Sunday Life Reporter
The second annual Amagugu International Heritage Centre (AIHC) traditional food expo lived up to all expectations last Saturday as hundreds attended the event held at the centre.
The event which started at 9am and ended in the early hours of the evening included tastings, buying and selling of different traditional foods among which were Sorghum Muffins, Isitshwala sonyawuthi, Imfe and millet cookies.
In attendance at the food expo was Reverend Paul Damasane, National Arts Council’s William Nyandoro, National University of Science and Technology and ZBC’s Ndabezinhle Dlodlo and Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries President Busisa Moyo was the guest of honour.
Drums of Peace, Umahlekisa Comedy Club and Sandra Ndebele and Mzoe 7 offered entertainment to the crowd that was visibly larger than the crowd the 2016 edition of the expo.
Speaking during the event, AIHC director Pathisa Nyathi expressed gratitude to all the people that were in attendance, highlighting that the expo had become a source of income for the Matobo locals.
“What we are doing here is not just teaching on the benefits of eating indigenous food, we are also trying to help the women of Matobo who are the ones responsible for preparing the traditional dishes that have been set before you.
“We are grateful for the turnout from both the Matobo community and those from Bulawayo and even beyond. This event would not be what it is, if not for the consistent support that we receive from the public. We hope that as support from people grows, this expo grows as well to a point where it is recognised as a regional or even international affair,” Nyathi said.
Echoing Nyathi’s sentiments, Busisa Moyo urged attendants to embrace the Traditional Food Expo and traditional dishes, stating that these indigenous dishes were much safer for consumption than exotic or imported foods.
“We need to hold these indigenous meals as close to our hearts as our forefathers did. This is why they lived long healthy lives — because they ate wholesome unprocessed foods. We are laden with illnesses such as cancer these days because we eat food whose origins we are not aware of.
“While Western food may appear fancy, we are not sure of what processes made it into the way it is, but at least we know that indigenous foods occur naturally and have nothing artificial added to them,” Moyo said.
After the formal event, attendants went for the Amagugu signature mountain climb where they were treated to a drumming session courtesy of Drums of Peace.
Online Reporter