eBusiness Weekly
Prince Chidzvondo
There is no cover charge, so you can buy as much food as you want!
This week, First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa officially launched the inaugural Zim Food and Culture Festival to be held from May 23 to 25 at the Harare Gardens.
Cooking is an art; food is not simply organic fuel to keep the body and soul together, and it is a perishable art that must be savoured at the peak of perfection.
At the launch, the First Lady herself, prepared a Mopane Worm Burger with some cabbage marmalade and a pizza with traditional toppings from all provinces of the country.
Mopane worm burger? This was a first.
Spoiler alert: these are some of the dishes to be expected at the Festival. It goes without saying that this festival will be one of cultural seduction, surrender and submission!
We live in a space were our previous assimilation has us obsessed with global cuisines, consequently leading to us moving away from our own traditional foods.
But the Zim Food & Culture Festival is a platform for one to trace back their roots and indulge in the traditional food delicacies from all cultures in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe has an intricate history and stormy present, but the traditional cultures of the country’s various ethnic groups endure and it is in complementary efforts with the Government to enhance community engagement and increase community awareness on cultural issues.
From a broader perspective, the festival carries the objectives of creating employment, increasing tourism receipts and providing a platform to share and present Zimbabwean cultures.
The First Lady highlighted:
“The event will afford us an opportunity to embrace our cultural diversity, promote domestic tourism, promote cultural food consumption and healthy eating, promote social cohesion while bridging the cultural divide and more importantly preserve Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage.”
During this three-day cultural razzmatazz, other fun activities will include cooking competitions, live performances, dance performances, cultural fashion exhibitions and a lot more that has been scheduled to keep the audiences entertained in different stands.
The live gigs will see a mix of talents, Zimbabwean cultures and ethnicities presenting the very art that moulds us into our Zimbabwean identity.
“The festival will showcase various traditional foods, native languages, arts, crafts, music and music instruments, fashion, fabric, furniture, traditional healing methods and medicines, cultural practices and social activities, among others.”
“I have travelled to so many countries and some nations have embraced their culture and can be easily identified, during this festival I am hoping that many activities that we will be having will be our first step to recollecting our identity,” said the First Lady.
In continuous efforts to aid Cyclone Idai, the recipes and the First Lady’s kitchen wear were auctioned. The First Lady’s chef apron was auctioned for a whooping RTGS$4 400 which was channelled towards the relief aid.
Governments worldwide now identify the economic worth of festivals and events. The vision of the festival aims at recognizing Zimbabwe as a cultural tourist attraction.
“The Zimbabwe Food & Culture Festival is not promising to attract domestic and international visitors alone but will instil cultural ethos, which will aid our tourism marketers in speaking confidently to our cultural tourism package.”
The event will feature culinary and cultural competitions, food and traditional vendors, musical entertainment and other cultural events.
It is without doubt, the event will highlight the deep cultural roots of Zimbabweans and our cultures will shine.
