Gift Mashoko
Zimbabwe food and culture festival, an initiative started by the First Lady, Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa, has kicked off today at the Harare Gardens.
The festival, which shall be officially opened by the First Lady on 24 May 2019, will run from 23 to 25 May 2019 celebrating Zimbabwe’s diverse culture.
Speaking at the festival in Harare, the First Lady said the festival was meant to compliment Government’s efforts to enhance community engagement and increase community awareness on cultural issues.
“Cultural festivals and events are increasingly becoming arenas of discourse enabling people to express their views on wider cultural, social and political issues,” she said.
The First Lady also said the festival was meant to showcase different traditional foods, native languages, arts crafts, music and music instruments, fashion, fabrics, furniture, traditional healing methods and medicines, cultural practices and social activities among several other cultural items.
The launch of the Zimbabwe Food and culture festival saw the First Lady making a Zim1 pizza with ingredients from the ten provinces of Zimbabwe and the first mopane burger.
The festival comes at the wake of Africa Day which is celebrated on 25 May annually. Africa Day is an annual commemoration celebrated in various countries on the African continent, as well as around the world. The festival also compliments the vision of Africa Day commemorations of African unity, democracy, and peace in Zimbabwe.
Lots of entertainment for the whole family is to be expected with cooking competitions, cultural games, fashion shows, music, exhibitions, workshops and much more.
The First Lady is trying hard for the nation to preserve and embrace its culture bridging the gap between the old and the young generations. She is also trying to fight cultural erosion and diffusion and uniting the nation. Embracing our culture as Zimbabweans, promotes domestic and international tourism in Zimbabwe. The festival is premised on the idea that people should not be separated from their culture which makes up the fabric of the society.
