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Nqobile Tshili

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MATABELELAND South, also known as the rainbow province, last Friday held the third annual cook-out competition, a programme initiated by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa. The event was held at the Esikhoveni Training Centre in Umzingwane district, which enabled the province to showcase its rich cultural diversity.

The finals of the traditional meals cookout competitions will be held in Harare this year. They are designed to ensure people embrace traditional dishes and learn how to prepare them.

Amai Mnangagwa launched her traditional meal cookout competition in 2020 to promote the uptake of indigenous dishes and ensure citizens benefit from their nutritional value and medicinal properties, which was a success up to the national finals in 2021. Thereafter she handed over the programme to the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry. As the founder and patron of the competition the First Lady is expected to grace the finals which will be held in Harare. She will also attend the Sadc regional finals which will be held later in the year.

Various communities competed by preparing traditional foods found in the district, and Mrs Mevis Sibanda from Beitbridge district won the competition. She used natural resources to prepare her nutritious meal, emphasising the importance of embracing indigenous foods. She commended the First Lady for introducing the traditional foods cookout competition, which helps in dismantling the belief that Western foods are of superior nutritional value than traditional foods.

“What made me win is that I looked for wild fruits that are available in our country, particularly in the Beitbridge district where I come from. I am talking of baobab fruits, milk, and goat meat, which we don’t have to import from other countries since they are found in our country. Zimbabwe is so rich because we get wild fruits that contribute to our well-being and also protect us from contracting diseases,” she said.

“This First Lady’s programme is quite good because the food that we cook, we don’t have to buy it from the shops. As for cooking oil, there is no need to go to the shops because the food that we cook has natural fats. This programme should continue and be extended to the younger generation because some of us are now old and our children should learn to rely on traditional food found in Zimbabwe,” said Mrs Sibanda.

“Through the programme we have been enlightened and a majority of people didn’t know about the significance of traditional dishes. We are now able to get traditional food without digging into our pockets and I have no words with which to thank the First Lady for introducing this programme.”

Acting Chief Wasi, who was also competing, expressed gratitude to the First Lady for the programme, which she believes empowers women.

“I didn’t want to be identified as a female traditional leader, I just wanted to attend today’s event as a participant but since I have been unmasked let me say, we are grateful to the First Lady for this programme. It empowers women. I will ask the political leadership to empower women by providing them with places where they cook their meals,” said acting Chief Wasi.

The Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu, said the competition has been sustained for three years as it speaks to the First Lady’s passion for the preservation of tradition and culture.

“Today we are gathered to roll out the programme and I’m happy to say Matabeleland South you are the first province to host the 2023 provincial cookout competition demonstrating your readiness to take the programme to another level,” he said.

Minister Ndlovu said the provincial competition was running concurrently in Matabeleland North.

“It is my desire that the people of Zimbabwe embrace the consumption of traditional foods regardless of age groups. Of Importance in this type of foods are the medicinal qualities embedded in them which can boost the immune system, thereby protecting our bodies from the attack from different diseases. It is my hope that the Zimbabwe traditional cuisine cascades to across the divide including both local and international through hotels, restaurants, airlines among others,” he said.

Minister Ndlovu said there is a need to improve the packaging and preserving of the traditional foods so that they are included in the mainstream tourism products.

He said it was pleasing that some players in the hospitality industry have started serving traditional meals.

He said serving traditional meals in the hospitality industry is an opportunity for job creation for locals as they are the major suppliers for traditional foods.

Minister Ndlovu said the successful holding of the past two cook out competitions has enabled the creation of a traditional recipe book from all the provinces.

“The compilation of the book was done to ensure sustainability as well ensuring that we preserve the recipes for future generations to continue to benefit from them,” he said.

He said the cookout competition has attracted Sadc regional interest.

“As a result, we have invited them to join us in showcasing their traditional cuisines. In this regard let us take advantage of this opportunity as a province to showcase our unique and diverse traditional products to the regional community.”

He said Matabeleland South can enhance its tourism stature through blending its history and foods as a tourism product.

Minister Ndlovu congratulated the province on the installation of Chief Maduna last Saturday saying his installation speaks to the Government’s respect of the role played by traditional leaders.

Speaking during the same event, Chief Charumbira’s wife Priscilla commended the First Lady for including wives of traditional leaders in the development nexus.

She said wives of traditional leaders understand community concerns better.

“The First Lady told us that visitors were enjoying our traditional meals saying it is medicinal but as opposed to us embracing it we were shunning it. This is what led her to introduce the cookout competition which has seen even our children appreciating our traditional foods,” she said. — @nqotshili