The color and the name of the Red Maasai Sheep represent the Maasai community and its identity. The Slow Food Presidium was created to protect the traditional breed and to involve more the Maasai youth and women.
From Slow Food
The Kitenge Route: The algorithms and aesthetics of African fabrics by @chris_mungai
Over at elephant
Every digital circuit in the world, has its unlikely origin very long ago in Africa, and the humble kitenge is just part of a much bigger legacy...[more]
All the buzz about edible insects by Emilie Filou | A profile of @insectipro
From the Africa Report:
Mango season in Kenya means one thing for InsectiPro: mounds of rotten fruit. And that is a big win for InsectiPro, which farms black soldier flies (BSF), a voracious insect that will feed on almost any type of organic waste. Fully-grown, BSF larvae are basically little protein bars, a highly valuable commodity in the world of animal feed...[more]
Meet Nicola Kavhu @chef_cola Entrepreneur-Chef founder of "African Vegan on a Budget"
From Forbes Africa:
...One young African chef is serving up an appetizing alternative: a new menu of realities and possibilities in the 21st century African diet, a way of promoting healthy eating while respecting and protecting the creatures that share our world. Nicola Kavhu, aka Chef Cola, is the creator and owner of African Vegan on a Budget, a brand based in Zimbabwe and South Africa that “focuses on spreading the word on veganism through entrepreneurial projects, collaborations and content creation”...[more]
Ẹkáàbọ̀ collection from Albany Park
Furniture Today reports:
E-commerce furniture retailer Albany Park has officially launched the new Ẹkáàbọ̀ collection, a limited-edition line inspired by Ankara, the vibrant wax prints from West Africa...[more]
Feast Afrique is a celebration of West African culinary heritage curated by Ozoz Sokoh – The Kitchen Butterfly @Kitchnbutterfly
From Ozoz Sokoh:
This library currently lists 180 books and collections, referenced in The Jemima Code and more, from 1828 to the present day. They live on virtual shelves on The Internet Archive (to read, click ‘borrow’ and you’ll see options. You might need to register), HathiTrust, The National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine and a few more...[more]
Tweaked Ibogaine A Psychedelic Drug from Africa Could Treat Addiction, Depression
From FreeThink:
The powerful psychedelic drug ibogaine could help people overcome addiction. Unfortunately, it could also kill them.
Tribes in Africa have been using the drug, which comes from the iboga plant, during spiritual ceremonies since at least the 1800s. In the 1960s, people in the U.S. started reporting that ibogaine helped them overcome heroin addiction.
Scientists started studying the drug in the '90s, and they've found some evidence that it could help with addiction and mood disorders, but it never really caught on as a medical treatment for a few reasons — the biggest one being that the drug's side effects include acute heart failure and death...[more]
An Earthen Architecture revival in Senegal – A profile of work by Seyni Ba & Nzinga B Mboup founder of Worofila
From the BBC:
The tradition of constructing of buildings from red clay in African countries like Senegal - known as earthen architecture - is slowly dying out, due to concrete becoming more popular as a building material. However, concrete is very expensive and red clay is more environmentally friendly, so some architects are pushing for the old ways to be revived. ...[more]
In the Indigenous/Traditional/Heritage Medicine Space | Secret Compound In Ancient Aztec Medicine Could Be Big Pharma’s Dream
From NBF:
Thousands of years ago, ancient Aztecs may have held the key to the next biotech breakthrough. During ceremonial rituals, they used a special compound they called “the flesh of the gods”… And today, researchers are discovering that this same compound could transform how we approach mental health moving forward...[more]
How do you survive 100 years in business?
From CNN:
How do you survive 100 years in business?A successful business is about more than making money. It's about building a brand that stands the test of time. In the latest edition of CNN's the 100 Club, Cyril Vanier takes us back to the humble beginnings of the world's most famous blue jeans, one of the largest hotel chains, and one of the first airlines.
A Database of Indigenous plants and other ‘Lost Crops’ – Meet Bruce French Founder of Food Plant Solutions
In the Indigenous Plants, 'Lost Crops' space. A profile of Bruce French founder of Food Plant Solutions
When agricultural scientist Bruce French was teaching agriculture in Papua New Guinea, his students had a strong message for him. They were sick of being taught about western plants and wanted to learn more about their native produce."I knew nothing about those, so I had to learn them," Mr French said. "And I just kept going. What about the next country, and the next country?"In the five decades since, Mr French has created a database of more than 31,000 edible plants, which is almost every plant from every country on earth...[more]
How unlocking the secrets of African DNA could change the world – The continent’s genomic data could spur a scientific revolution. Why have we ignored it for so long?
From the FT:
More than 7,000 years ago, during the last Green Sahara period, when the vast north African desert was rain-fed and lush, a child was born with extraordinary powers – and the seed of a curse...[more]
Eradicating hunger through the African Orphan Crops Consortium
From Forests Trees Agroforestry:
Training scientists in advanced plant genomics is set to transform nutrition in Africa. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations works with the African Orphan Crops Consortium to assist its member countries.
The African Orphan Crops Consortium is an African-led, international consortium founded in 2011 with the goal of sequencing, assembling and annotating 101 African orphan crops. The Consortium was approved by African heads of state at the African Union Assembly and is led by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)...[more]
Fulaba | Exclusive Jewelry from African High Culture
Fulaba provides handcrafted jewelry from African High Culture including authentic Fulani earrings and bracelets that are a fit for a queen. We offer free shipping to the United States and Canada!
Omugwo #Nigeria – An Online Care Giving Service
Omugwo is an online care giving service company, where you can find the most professional and reliable caregivers to meet the needs and match the expectations of your entire family. We provide you with the most reliable, professional and experienced caregivers in Nigeria, whom have been trained and properly vetted.For an understanding of the cultural practice 'Omugwo' listen here
Oyunga Pala @realoyungapala mourns the loss of indigenous crops and farming methods that were buried by capitalist modes of production that focus mainly on high yields and profit.
Oyunga Pala writes:
The importance of seeds, and indigenous seed cultures, in particular, is a lost consciousness among the contemporary generation of African farmers. The introduction of hybrid seeds in post-colonial Africa progressively altered farming cultures and food systems. Commercial and certified seeds accompanied by a retinue of inputs, fertilisers, pesticides and the promise of high yields but only good for one season, have entrapped rural small-scale farmers in exploitative systems of the dominant agro-industry. Indigenous plant genetic varieties have lost significant ground to hybrid varieties, and consequently, the disappearance of indigenous food cultures and seed knowledge...[more]
Abiola Ogunrinde founder of Dudu Osun organic soap #Nigeria
Eko Gold | Eko Black| Eko Brewery
Building on the artistry of craft beer, Eko Brewery blends creativity and boldness to produce an unmatched selection of beers inspired by African tradition. Keep reading to learn more and immerse yourself in this unique product range.
Chibundiro Spices #Kenya founded by Ms Anzazi Kiti
From CNBC Africa:
Anzazi Kiti used to set up Taste Afrique Limited maker of Chibundiro Spices, a business that manufactures natural food seasoning spices...[more]
The role of rural women in making home brew: a Rwandan case study #Rwanda
Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu writes:
Across sub-Saharan Africa traditional non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages are made from locally available produce like cereals, fresh milk, fruits, and vegetables. Ethiopia, for example, is famous for its alcoholic beverage Cheka, while mahewu, tobwa and mangisi are non-alcoholic cereal-based drinks popular in Zimbabwe...[more]
OBTranslate a tool for translating over 2,000 African languages
An Openbinacle product:
OBTranslate is an online CAT (Computer Assisted Translation) tool, machine learning, artificial intelligence platforms and neural network systems for languages...Our goal is to break language communication barriers in Africa on 4G / 5G networks. It will enable self driving cars, speaker devices, smartphones, linear robots and wireless technology to communicate and interact with human beings in Africa languages.via Vanguard
Phronesis Foods : A Lagos #Nigeria based packaging company for Ukwa
Phronesis Foods is
...a food processing and packaging company with a focus on making available and accessible some of Nigeria’s local foods to our global consumers. One of our major products is Ukwa (African Breadfruit). It comes in both its original state, and as a solid food and cereal.
Heritage Industries – Indigo, ash & time mark Nigeria’s centuries-old indigo dye pits https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/world/article226558685.html #nNgeria
Cara Anna writes
A little indigo, a handful of ash and time. The dye pits in Nigeria's ancient northern city of Kano are said to be the last ones of their kind after five centuries of existence.
via
Many pits at Kofar Mata appear to be abandoned as the sons who inherit the tradition decide to pursue government jobs or other business instead, forgetting the skills passed down through generations. The men who remain, squatting over the pits with sturdy gloves and endless patience, produce the intensely blue fabrics that are internationally renowned...[more]
Slow Food in Sierra Leone: Journey Among the Kola Nut Growers #SierraLeone
From the Slow Food Foundation:
Travelling southeast from Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital, towards the eastern provinces, eventually brings you to the unpaved roads that lead to the Gola Rainforest National Park, one of the few remaining tracts of rainforest left in the country. Rivers and streams alternate with villages whose huts are roofed with straw or brightly painted corrugated metal, along with rice paddies, oil and coconut palm plantations and cacao and coffee plants growing in the shade of kola nut, mango and cashew trees...[more]
Unrecognized Crops – We revealed the value of #Zambia ’s wild yam. Why it matters
Highlighting heritage foods: Over at The Conversation:
More hereThe tubers of the wild plant lusala are sold in markets. Lusala, the Tonga name for the wild yam Dioscorea hirtiflora Benth, is a tuberous, climbing wild plant that’s indigenous to Zambia and grows in the country’s forests. To answer the question “is this wild edible plant important?”, we surveyed the plant’s role in the lives of 278 rural households across four different districts in the southern province of Zambia and in market traders’ businesses in three towns.
via
We were astonished at the dependence on this wild yam. Almost all (96%) rural households ate lusala. A high portion collected tubers from forests (83%) while over half (59%) sold tubers they collected. There were no differences among districts.
Kugali Media "is going to kick Disney’s ass in Africa!"
The BBC profiles Kugali Media:
"We're going to kick Disney's ass in Africa!"— BBC Stories (@bbcstories) January 11, 2019
Fed up of non-Africans telling African stories, three friends from Nigeria and Uganda decided to create @Kugalimedia, their own comic book anthology. pic.twitter.com/rQSrb68cvd
My African Food Map: Kitfo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaToNcxqZHw
Skin products from Ephraim Mabena a Traditional Healer
From the Sowetan:
Traditional healer Ephraim Mabena has been able to use his knowledge of indigenous medicine in collaboration with science to create products that could soon be commercialised.
“Having our knowledge written down and archived is an acknowledgement of our medicine and our traditions,” he said...[more]
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: The heat, complexity & texture of African cuisine are gaining traction in US
A podcast from Soup to Nuts
In #Nigeria On Beniseed [Sesame] Seeds – Kitchen Butterfly @Kitchnbutterfly
A post from Kitchen Butterfly:
More hereBecause beniseed [sesame] seeds have their DNA and birthplace in Africa. In this post, I use beniseed, benne and sesame seed interchangeably – forgive me.
image via
Sesame seeds are the seeds of the tropical annual Sesamum indicum. The species has a long history of cultivation – first for its rich oil but also for wine!
The Benin Monarch – An Anthology of Benin History #Nigeria
‘The Benin Monarchy: An Anthology of Benin History, while building on previous narratives, brings together the manifold intersecting worlds of our finest traditions, history and modernity to create for the reader a chronicle that illustrates all the features, personalities and dynamics that have framed our monarchy—and a kingdom as fascinating and intriguing as ours among the whole community of humanity.’
Zabbaan Holding is Bottling #Mali ‘s wild plants for nutritious drinks
Spore reports:
Mopti region holds special significance for 27-year-old Aïssata Diakité. Not only was she born there, but the region is also home to Zabbaan Holding, her company that makes juices from bush plants. The business is even named after a local plant – zaban – which looks like passion fruit and produces sweet juice with an acidic hit that is extremely popular with children.
Diakité left the countryside to study for her baccalaureate in Mali’s capital, Bamako, before heading to Amiens, France, to complete an agribusiness course. But the place where she grew up was instrumental in her decision to become an agribusiness entrepreneur before setting up her own ‘ethical’ food processing company. “My business reflects my career path, my environment and my passion,” she says...[more]
Africa’s ancient practices are being digitized for the future
From Quartz:
The digital revolution, often described as “leapfrogging,” has brought real change to Africa. In finance, communication, and entertainment, technology has allowed African innovators to skip a step, bypassing the West in significant ways as the continent tries to catch up to more industrialized parts of the world.
In leaping forward, many innovators have looked to their past to build the future. Traditions that sustained communities long before the internet arrived are now being disrupted and adjusted for a smartphone-wielding generation. With new tools, these community-based solutions have the potential to travel further beyond the village...[more]
MaTontine is Bringing an ancient African savings system into the digital age
CNN reports:
More here
...While it is usually prevalent among female traders, many Africans take part in tontines schemes.
They are a practical alternative in a region where more than half of the adult population does not use a formal monetary system.
Now a new start-up, MaTontine, is trying to take the savings circle into the digital age, using mobile technology in Senegal.
"The value of tontines in Senegal we estimate to be about $200 million per year," says Bernie Akporiaye, co-founder of MaTontine.
"The problem is that money is not leveraged to provide significant services or value-added services that will get them out of poverty,"
How to make ‘Wara ‘ Nigerian Cheese!!
From Battabox:
Are forgotten crops the future of food?
A subject covered frequently on these pages. The BBC reports:
Just four crops - wheat, maize, rice and soybean - provide two-thirds of the world’s food supply. But scientists in Malaysia are trying to change that by reviving crops that have been relegated to the sidelines...[more]
Meet the Chinese ‘tambi’ noodle-makers of #Zanzibar
Over at Al Jazeera Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein writes:
The story behind a popular Ramadan dish of fried vermicelli noodles and dark raisins in sweet coconut milk.
image via
On a rainy morning on the predominantly Muslim islands of Zanzibar, 48-year-old Howingkao Howai bounds into Kariakoo Noodles Producer with pep in his step.
As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan draws to an end, Howingkao and his team are in the thick of a noodle-making frenzy...[more]
Chamas are the Financial Side of Real World Social Networks
Nigerian Superfoods #Nigeria
Mena Imasekha writes:
The rise of superfoods across the globe from maca root powder in Peru to renowned fruit of longevity, also known as goji berries, in China, has left us, at Style HQ, wondering if we have some “undiscovered” superfoods here in Nigeria and across the continent...[more]
Photo via Novadina
From the Slow Food Foundation – Elejo Tomato (Snake Tomato) #Nigeria
From the Slow Food Foundation's Ark of Taste:
Snake tomato (Trichosanthes cucumerina) locally known as “elejo tomato” is a variety growing mostly wild in southwestern Nigeria. It is mainly found in the states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Edo...[more]
OjaExpress is On-Demand Grocery Shopping for Ethnic Foods
BE reports:
OjaExpress is disrupting the grocery market with a simple solution to bring cultural grocery shopping online. What is meant by “cultural” grocery shopping? Think Instacart for ethnic foods. According to a release, the company helps customers shop for groceries from their favorite cultural grocers, as well as expose non-native eaters to different ethnic fares. It serves as a marketplace for small grocers that sell culturally specific groceries that lack the technology infrastructure to sell their goods online, and engage and attract new customers...[more]
Slow Food has a vision of building 10,000 gardens in Africa.
From the Slow Food Foundation:
Creating 10,000 good, clean and fair food gardens in African schools and communities means not only raising awareness among young generations about the importance of food biodiversity and access to healthy, fresh food, but also training a network of leaders aware of the value of their land and their culture who can serve as protagonists for change and the continent’s future.
Fashion that celebrates African strength and spirit – Walé Oyéjidé at #TEDGlobal
From TED Global 2017:
Indigenous Methods of Food and Seeds Preservation
From the Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries Department South Africa:
Preservation is the action of preserving food in order to have a secure and reliable source of food during offseasons.This keeps food safe from decay and the risk of going bad. Food can be preserved either traditionally or in a modern way. Indigenous communities had no option but to preserve indigenous food because most of the food crops are seasonal and there is a lack of processing or value-adding technologies to avoid food wastage.Traditional ways of preserving seed, vegetables and grain are not considered a priority after years of dependence on commercially produced high-yielding varieties and therefore have been largely ignored. Foodstuffs such as vegetables are wasted, rotting or being attacked by pests every year. By preserving food, households ensure food security without jeopardising future food consumption. The main methods of preserving indigenous vegetables, grains and seeds used are air and sun drying, smoked coating,ash mixing, leaving with their covers after harvesting, shading and freezing...[more]
Swigging Cashew, Sorghum, and Sugarcane Beverages from Ghanaian Entrepreneurs
In Ghana Foodtank reports on the advent of liquors, beers and wines that use indigenous ingredients:
While commercial beers, imported spirits, and wines can be found at bars, parties, and even funerals across Ghana, taste for local tipples are gaining momentum—in part driven by patriotic pushing for Ghana-made products.
Temperatures in the West African country usually sit around 26 to 32 degrees Celsius (80 to 90 Fahrenheit), so a chilled beer to cool off isn’t hard to find. The beer market is dominated by three commercially brewed drinks—Club (SABMiller), Star, and Guinness (both Guinness breweries)—but there are a few independent companies popping up offering an alternative, which promote local ingredients and help farmers
Clement Djameh, owner of Ghana’s only microbrewery, studied at the Weihenstephan brewery in Germany then worked in leading breweries until he set up his own. He uses ingredients native to the land, like sorghum, a grain which replaces barley in his Pilsners and Hefeweizens...[more]
Nigerian chef – Michael Elegbede – cooks efo riro with stockfish #Nigeria
From the BBC:
Nigerian chef Michael Elegbede shows the BBC how to cook the perfect efo riro with stockfish.
How super vegetables earned scholar top Africa Food Prize
A report in the Daily Nation
Beyond Mudcloth: An Introduction to the Myriad of African Textiles
Over at Blueprint Africa Nana Spio-Garbrah writes:
In May, Beyoncé threw an Africa-themed push party to celebrate the expected arrival of her twins Sir and Rumi. A medley of patterned fabric cemented the aesthetic but led some Africans to question the extent to which the riotous decor truly paid homage to Africa. African print is about as African as pizza is American – an import from Europe that has become so entrenched in the daily life of West African culture that to peel back its history seems an assault on regional identity. As a result, several thought pieces have debated the misnomer ‘African print’...[more]
Anthony Bourdain Has Never Seen a City Like #Lagos Before
Over at Eater:
Tony is heading to the largest city in Africa on 'Parts Unknown' this week
image via Eater
Next up on Parts Unknown, Anthony Bourdain travels to Lagos, which is not only the largest city in Nigeria, but the whole of Africa. In a metropolis of roughly 20 million people, Bourdain finds food and culture that takes him by complete surprise...[more]
Fonio – A forgotten ancient grain that could help Africa prosper #TEDGlobal #TEDGlobal2017
Pierre Thiam at TEDGlobal 2017
Forget quinoa. Meet fonio, an ancient "miracle grain" native to Senegal that's versatile, nutritious and gluten-free. In this passionate talk, chef Pierre Thiam shares his obsession with the hardy crop and explains why he believes that its industrial-scale cultivation could transform societies in Africa.