The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
IT is high time Zimbabweans start being proud and promote their national identity through the food they consume and how they dress, the First Lady, Mai Auxillia Mnangagwa, has said.
Addressing participants and attendees during the Amai’s Traditional Cook Out competition at Mutare Teachers’ College yesterday (Thursday), Amai Mnangagwa, said it is sad to notice how Zimbabwean traditional food is praised by other countries and yet locals shun it.
“I know it has been a long time since we lost our identity as Zimbabweans, but we just need to start now. We really need to be proud of who we are. One of the major ways that we should show pride in our identity is through the food we consume. It is sad that you see someone locking the door and peeping through the window only because they are ashamed to be seen eating sadza and okra. This is what makes us Zimbabwean.
“The most regrettable thing is that we have countries that praise our dishes and yet we not proud of it. Out there, there are countries that know and acknowledge that Zimbabwean food is medicinal,” she said.
The First Lady said traditional dishes coupled with the national dress are all efforts meant to promote our identity as Zimbabweans.
“Now we have the national dress and this is all about our identity. We really need to reclaim our identity as Zimbabweans. If a Nigerian or a Chinese comes here, there is no need for introduction because they carry their identity wherever they are,” she said.
Amai Mnangagwa bemoaned moral decadence within youths, while challenging parents to be exemplary.
“Parents especially mothers need to be exemplary to our children. It is painful to see how young girls are turning into alcoholics. Partly, it is because of how we raise these children. How do you then discipline your children when the mother comes homes late and drunk. Let us be a good example to our children,” she said.
Speaking at the same function, Permanent Secretary in the Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Ministry, Mr Munesushe Munodawafa, said Amai’s Traditional Cook Out competition will culminate into recipe books being produced as a way of enhancing the culture of traditional dishes consumption.
“This noble initiative by our First Lady is not meant to end with these competitions. It is a broader initiative meant to promote the consumption of traditional dishes, hence there will be recipe books that will be produced from all the dishes that were prepared from all the provinces,” he said.
Yesterday’s event saw Manicaland hosting the last edition of Amai’s Traditional Cook Out competition, which started in 2019 with the Mashonaland West edition.
The competition was, however, derailed for almost a year in 2020 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
