I’ve always said it – food is more than eating. It is a good lens, canvas for exploration of human behaviour and shared experience. I also like how diverse the perspectives and memories are. What do we remember about books that have touched us in some way. When I shared Jollof in Literature, I got...
Jollof rice – ever present. Wedding, funeral, homecoming, celebration, birth, death, life. I’m not sure what other dish has this power or magic in West Africa. Literature often mimics life so that the instances that show up on the page are likely to have happened. I’ve began to look out for food – particularly Jollof...
There is a certain depth of documentation that comes with Independence, allows records be collected and preserved for posterity. This Independence week, I’m showing ‘liberty’ and freedom in food :). I’ve always found cookbooks fascinating. I’m the sort of person whose bedtime reading is ingredient lists and recipe directions – a veritable feast as I...
There are one hundred mentions of Yam – one hundred. 100. C (Roman Numerals) in Things Fall Apart (1958) – the most widely read book in modern African literature. Written by renowned writer, the late Chinua Achebe, the novel is set in late 19th century Nigeria, pre colonisation. It follows the life of Okonkwo, a wrestling champion on a journey that...