Story by Courage Bushe
SPOUSES of traditional leaders in Zvishavane had a rare opportunity to showcase their culinary skills, exchange recipes, and celebrate cultural heritage during a traditional cookout competition held at Chief Masunda’s homestead this Wednesday.
The inaugural event brought together over 30 women, each presenting a variety of traditional dishes and brews, in an initiative aimed at preserving Zimbabwe’s rich culinary and cultural heritage for future generations.
“This is a good platform for us to learn and exchange notes, and we are very grateful to the Mother of the Nation for giving us this learning platform,” said one participant.
Another added “This is great from the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa. It reminds us of our culture, and it’s commendable. Traditional dishes are unique because they don’t cause diseases.”
Mrs Fidelia Nyoni, Event Coordinator and wife of Chief Masunda, praised the initiative for empowering women.
“We are seeing that women are being empowered by this programme. When it started, we never thought it would grow to this extent. We are so grateful to the First Lady; she is doing a sterling job and we are really humbled,” said Mrs Nyoni.
Guest of Honour, Mrs Yeyani Moyo, highlighted the importance of passing traditional culinary skills to younger generations.
“We applaud Amai Mnangagwa for this initiative. It will help our younger generations to catch up with traditional ways of preparing meals and understanding their nutritional and medicinal value,” she said.
The First Lady launched the traditional meal cookout competition in 2020 to promote the consumption of indigenous dishes and ensure that citizens benefit from their rich nutritional and medicinal properties, while also celebrating Zimbabwe’s vibrant cultural heritage.
