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Charity Chikara, Sunday News Correspondent
YOUNG Women for Economic Development (YW4ED) are set to host a National Food and Arts Festival in Bulawayo on 14 September as a way of celebrating the culinary and artistic strength of young women in Zimbabwe.
The national competition comes after a selection process that has been on going at provincial level, where the top three will represent each province at the National Food and Arts Festival that will be held at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) this week.
Speaking to Sunday News, YW4ED National Chairperson, Hon Tatenda Mavetera said the competition was motivated by the First Lady, Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa’s zeal to uplift cultural beliefs and restore the dignity of traditional foods.
“We are trying to make young people understand that they need to learn to cook traditional foods. Also that they understand the need for cooking healthy foods and traditional foods. The reason why our parents have lived long is because they were eating these foods. We need to be able to preserve our cultural values as a country. We are happy that Amai Mnangagwa has been a person who has always propelled the issues of our values of ubuntu/hunhu. We need to be well cultured young women who know what is expected of us. The competition is a way of getting young women involved in businesses and also start working towards empowering themselves,” she said.
In an interview, YW4ED Programme Coordinator in the National Executive Committee Mrs Sithabile Gandi Ndlovu said the national competition will have the First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa as guest of honor and experts in the culinary and arts industries will also attend.
In the national competition each province was tasked to come up with a unique theme, recipes, dress code, traditional foods, arts and crafts that best showcase their province. The Arts exhibition will run concurrently with the cooking competition. — @chikaracharity
Bongani Ndlovu