Nourishing Africa

Words by Ruba

On July 12th, Cin Cin hosted an intimate event that brought together food, music, art, customs and rituals from across the African continent.

At the helm in the kitchen was Somalian-born Bashir Munye – chef, food advocate, food consultant and agri-culinary educator. Bashir adopts a unique Afrocentric lens to his teachings, a perspective he believes is essential in reclaiming the rich heritage and contributions of African cultures in the agricultural and culinary realms. The reality is that colonization and capitalism have stripped African nations of their food systems and replaced the continent’s diverse indigenous crops with cash crops grown for export, rather than for nourishment. This shift has degraded land that was once carefully tended for sustenance, and compromised food sovereignty, resulting on the reliance by African nations on foreign aid.

Guests enjoyed a nine-course menu that spanned the African continent and informed on the history, relevance and contribution of African cuisines to the world. A menu highlight was the “Edible Soil” – a mixture of seeds, nuts and spices that was shaped to resemble the continent of Africa – accompanied by large injera crackers shaped in the same manner. Guests were asked to “break bread” around this dish by taking a scoop of the mixture from the continent, then replenishing it. This symbolic act encouraged reflection on the central African themes of sustainability and food sovereignty, and on our responsibility to act as agents of change.

Throughout the evening, guests enjoyed the warm sounds of the mbira, a type of thumb piano, played by Zimbabwean-born Dr. Moyo Rainos Mutamba – musician, lecturer and advocate for Black and Indigenous liberation. The mbira is a ceremonial instrument from Zimbabwe that dates back thousands of years and was spiritually used to call the ancestors. The evening culminated in a traditional coffee ceremony led by Eritrean-born Naza Hasebenebi. Guests stepped into the heart of Eritrea and Ethiopia to experience this timeless tradition that is all about friendship, respect and the maintaining of social ties. Story-telling guided the narrative of the evening, as did other traditional African rituals and customs, from breaking bread to eating with the hands, the burning of frankincense, and the strong sense of interconnection and community.