food - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

By BOMIKAZI ZEKA and ABDUL LATIF ALHASSAN

Cost-of-living crisis: experts share 3 survival tips

THE price increases for essential goods such as food, petrol and household utilities are a global concern, but the region most hurt by the surge in food prices is sub-Saharan Africa. The knock-on effect from the supply chain disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate disasters that resulted in food insecurity and energy shortages have driven prices through the roof. A report by Numbeo, which contains the world’s largest database on costs of living, found that South Africa is the ninth most expensive African country to live in and the most expensive in cost of living (in terms of groceries,…

Oct

2023

By PHENDU KUTA, BIRD STORY AGENCY

2023 African Folklore Festival engages next-gen

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

THE second Pan-African Folklore Festival wowed audiences and brought Johannesburg alive for almost a week during South Africa Heritage Month as multi-faceted storyteller Pilani Bubu brought the rich tapestry of African culture and heritage alive through music, dance, literature, food, and crafts across venues throughout the inner city. The festival featured a diverse line-up of artists from South Africa, Kenya, and Zimbabwe Bubu's 2022 album, "Folklore Chapter One," which planted the seed for the first festival, delved into the concept of folklore – the oral traditions, beliefs, and stories - passed down through generations. The 2023 edition of the event…

Feb

2023

By The African Mirror

Ahead of Nigeria elections, residents stock-up on food, essentials

NEWS

ABRAHAM ACHIRGA AT a market in Nigeria's northern Kano state customers stocked up on food and essentials, uncertain of the outcome of Saturday's election to choose a new president and lawmakers, in a country where voting has sometimes been followed by violence. Shortages of cash and fuel and the highest inflation rate in nearly two decades have left Nigerians frustrated about the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is not on the ballot after serving the maximum two presidential terms. "We don't know what is going to be the outcome of the election so that is why you see everyone trying to come and…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

Women’s memories of food offer insights into Mozambique’s liberation struggle

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WE don’t just taste food. Aromas, visual images, sounds and touch are equally part of our eating experience. Food also evokes feelings. We can experience it with joy but also with displeasure. This sensorily evocative power of food makes it an important site for remembering the past, which in turn influences our relation to food in the present. JONNA KATTO, Postdoctoral researcher, Ghent University There is much important literature in Africa that deals with food security and the biological necessity of eating. However, my research explores how food is connected to remembering and making sense of the past, especially a…