African Art and Food Sharing History and Heritage

Countdown to the New Year! New Year in Africa's Zanzibar, the New Year in South Africa, the New Year in Mauritius, the New Year in Ethiopia and the Berber New Year in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia are celebrated by eating, dancing, singing, and laughing with family and friends. Buying fireworks for the New Year in North Africa Countdown to the New Year In Africa The New Year in Africa brings time for reflection, expectation and hope for a happy New Year ahead. How Africa Celebrates the New Year New Year in Zanzibar Around the 3rd week in July, Africa's Zanzibar Mwakakogwa Festival is a four-day long celebration of the Shirazi New Year. The festivities vary from village to village, but Makunduchi is where the biggest events take place. All are welcome for the festival because it is a local belief that anyone without a guest for this holiday is unhappy. New Year in South Africa The Kaapse Klopse is a New Year’s carnival that usually takes place in the ...

Cooking goat meat, easy classic curry stewed goat recipe. One of the pleasures in life is good eating delicious curry goat. Goat meat, also known as Chevon in Northern Europe, Capretto in Australia and Southern Europe and Cabrito in Latin America and has been an important source of meat for centuries around the world. Regardless of the name, Goat meat is a popular recipe to people in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Greece, India, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan, and South America. Cooking goat meat recipes have found a new market in the US. Easy goat meat recipes cookbook Easy classic curry stewed goat recipe Ingredients 2 pounds cubed goat meat 2 heaping tablespoons good quality curry powder 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 onion chopped 3 cloves garlic chopped 2 large white potatoes cubed 2 large carrots sliced evenly 1 red pepper chopped 1 hot pepper whole 5 cups of water Salt to taste Directions Add all the ingredients to a large pot, cover and simmer on me...

Naturally sweet coconut has rich fragrant flavor and this coconut relish makes an exciting savory relish to dip seafood. The coconut industry is an important source of employment for most farmers in rural communities. The coconut palm is throughout coastal Africa . It is a very versatile crop requiring little care. Coconut trees are often referred to as the Tree of Life and have many uses from food, fiber, fuel, water and shelter, every part of the coconut palm is used. They mature within 2 – 7 years and the first fruit appears one year after flowering. One tree can yield on average 70-150 coconuts per year remaining productive for 50 – 100 years. With all those coconuts available Africa is brimming with coconut recipes. Quick and easy coconut relish recipe is a great accompaniment for pork and seafood. The sweet flavor of this coconut relish creates an interesting garnish to seafood and pork. Coconut Relish for Pork and Seafood Ingredients 2 cups coconut flakes ...

Tea was introduced to Africa for the first time in 1687. Rooibos tea lovers know a Russian living in South Africa promoted the red bush Rooibos tea. Rooibos pronounced Roy-bos or red bush tea is a South African tea with a reddish-brown color. The year 1904 was a special year for all Rooibos tea lovers, Benjamin Ginsberg a Russian business person living in South Africa started promoting the red bush, Rooibos tea. Aspalathus linearis is a shrub found in the western mountainous parts of the Western Cape that Rooibos (pronounced Roy-bos) or red bush tea is grown. Rooibos tea is made from selected forms of the shrub, which is found mainly on the Cederberg Mountains north of Cape Town centered on the town of Clanwilliam. Red bush Rooibos tea. South African rooibos tea is a herbal tea that is non-caffeinated with a reddish-brown color. Rooibos has a high level of antioxidants and is considered a healthy tea. The leaves are used to make the herbal tea also called red bush tea. Rooibos is ...

Alloco Fried Plantains with Tomato Sauce Recipe Alloco or Fried Plantains with Tomato Sauce is usually eaten as a side dish with fish. Alloco is a popular dish throughout Africa but goes by many names depending on the region. Alloco Fried Plantains with Tomato Sauce Alloco Fried Plantains with Tomato Sauce Ingredients 4 ripe yellow plantains 1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce Palm oil for frying (substitute peanut oil) Directions Heat a small amount of oil in a large frying pan. Cut the plantain into medium slices, fry the plantain until golden brown on each side. Remove plantains from the pan, cover with warmed sauce and serve warm. Cooking in Mali Africa in 1981

Humpback Whales Africa's Madagascar Antongil Bay is the most important breeding place for humpback whales in the Eastern Hemisphere. Antongil Bay Humpback Whale Watching in Madagascar Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture Go whale watching in Madagascar. Humpback whale watching In 1997, the 2,175 sq km, 840 sq. mile or 537,600 acre Masoala National Park which is located on the Masoala peninsula in the northeast of Madagascar was created.   The Masoala peninsula is enclosed by the Indian Ocean in the east and Antongil Bay in the west. Today the Masoala can only be reached by boat, hiking or bike riding through miles of wilderness. Masoala is a multipart protected area having four land tracts and three marine. One important area is Antongil Bay, the largest bay in Madagascar. Antongil Bay is a refuge for humpback whales that gather in the bay during mating season feeding on tiny shrimp...

Christmas Africa, Santa Claus in Africa, both bring smiles to African children faces. Christmas in Africa Celebrating Christmas in Africa. On this day, Christmas day December 25, over 400 million Christians in Africa commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Christmas in Africa brings friends and family together for food, laughter and gifts. Christmas in Africa, Santa Claus is popular and takes many forms. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus in Africa | Christmas in Africa. Egypt's Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7. About 10% of Egyptians are Coptic Christians, making up the largest Christian minority in the Middle East. Baba Noel is the Arabic name for England's Father Christmas, in the United States Baba Noel is better known as Santa Claus. Africans South Africans call him Vader Kersfees while in Morocco Santa Claus is known as Black Peter. Christmas and Santa Claus in Africa In the Netherlands where many Moroccan expats live, the annual ap...

About Togo Africa French Togoland became Togo in 1960, Togo, officially the Togolese Republic is a tiny West African country next to Ghana, Benin, and Burkina Faso. Togo where the same family has been in power for five decades. Togo name derived from the Ewe words - to (water) and go - (shore); originally the name applied to the town of Togo, now Togoville, but the name was eventually extended to the entire country. Destination Togo Africa Togo Capital - Lome Togo Area - 56,785 sq km or 35,284 sq miles Togo Total Population - 6.8 Million Togo Rural Population - 62% Togo Gross National Income (GNI) Per Capita - US $500 per household a year Togo’s landscape is diverse, with five environmental zones: mountains, Savannah, rainforest and coastal areas. Togo is one of the smallest countries in Africa with more than one million people living in Lomé, its capital city. With more than 6 million residents, for the most part, live in rural areas. Voodoo worshipers from the Guen tri...

Khat is a stimulant drug containing cathinone and cathine, chewing Khat is a historic traditional drug or illegal depending on where you live in Africa. Khat stimulant drug is derived from a shrub named Catha edulis. Khat is a Schedule 1 stimulant drug with deep rooted social customs in East Africa particularly in Ethiopia. Khat (pronounced cot) is an evergreen shrub that grows in areas bordering the Red Sea, including countries in East Africa particularly Ethiopia. Cathinone and cathine are chemicals similar to the effects of amphetamines and result in similar stimulant effects in the brain and body.   Khat is the locally chewed social drug in places such as Ethiopia and has a long history as a social routine dating back thousands of years. Khat plant is widely cultivated and known by a variety of names, including qaat and jaad in Somalia, and chat in Ethiopia. Khat is grown in groves and three to four hours per day is devoted to striping the branches chewing the lea...

Third World Countries Don't Exist However, Less Infrastructured Countries Do Exist. What does the term Third World really mean? The phrase Third World, there is no official agreed upon definition of the term however, people in their everyday conversations use the term third world to describe poor developing countries and inferior individuals.  Alfred Sauvy coined the original meaning of third world, in 1952. Third world meant countries that were unaligned with either the Communist Soviet bloc or the Capitalist NATO bloc during the Cold War.  The term Third World implies counties and their people are inferior due to widespread poverty and other factors.   The term Third World obscures all parts of a country's culture and contributions that are not of an economic nature.  Who are the first, second and third world countries? First World refers to developed, capitalist, industrial countries, North America, Western Europe, Japan and Australia.  Second World refers ...

July 18th is Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Day In 2009, the United Nations declared July 18th as Mandela Day   The year 2009 was a special one, that’s the year the General Assembly of the United Nations declared the date of July 18th as Mandela Day to honor Nelson Mandela’s lifelong dedication to helping the human race throughout South Africa and by extension the world. Also, July 18 th is the date of the anti-apartheid icon’s birth and December 5, 2013, is the date of his death.  "If I had my time over I would do the same again. So would any man who dares call himself a man."-  Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Quotes It always seems impossible until it's done. Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one, you are capable of living. I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man ...

John Langalibalele Dube First African National Congress President John Langalibalele Dube was born in now eastern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in the Inanda district on February 22, 1871. Dube whose nickname was “Mafukuzela” was an educator, minister, politician, author, and activist. He was the son of the low ranking Zulu chief Reverend James Dube one of the first ordained pastors of the American Zulu Mission. John Langalibalele Dube First African National Congress President At the age of 16, in 1887, he accompanied missionaries to the United States of America, where he studied at Oberlin College while working his way through school, however, despite his hard work due to the lack of money, he never received an official degree. Nevertheless, the talents that he nurtured during these Oberlin years laid the foundations for his future endeavors. The Ohlange Institute in the Inanda district In 1897 when Dube returned to the United States he enrolled at the Union...

The Iroko Tree African Folklore Story African traditional storytelling customs The Iroko Tree African Folklore story reveals African traditional customs and art forms preserved among her people. The Iroko Tree African Folklore Story Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture 12-2-2013 The Yoruba are one of the three largest ethnic groups of Nigeria and one of the most popular languages spoken outside of Africa. The Iroko tree is one of the most popular Yoruba folklore stories. The Iroko Tree African Folklore Story In the forest, there is a giant tree called by the Yoruba’s the “Iroko,” which is shunned by all people, for in it lives the spirit of an old man who prowls about at night with a little torch and frightens travelers. Anyone who sees the Iroko-man face to face goes mad and speedily dies. Seeing the thick branches and mighty trunk of the Iroko, woodcutters are often tempted to cut the tree down and make use of ...

Pomegranate sauce is delicious as a gravy for grilled lamb, pork or chicken. Egyptian Pomegranate Sauce Recipe From September to December, Egypt grows and harvests the ancient Pomegranate crop. The two most cultivated pomegranate varieties exporting from Egypt are Baladi and Wonderful Pomegranates. Pomegranates are a good source of two essential vitamins, C and K. The pomegranate is widely cultivated in Northern and tropical areas of Africa. A pomegranate was found in the tomb of a servant of Queen Hatshepsut in Egypt. Queen Hatshepsut was Egypt's first female pharaoh. When selecting a pomegranate choose one heavy for its size. The fruit has a thick leathery skin and ranges in size from an orange to a grapefruit. The color and external blemishes of the pomegranate are no indication of the quality of the fruit. The red arils (seed) is the edible part of the pomegranate, the entire seed is consumed raw by chewing the juice from the seeds. Pomegranate seeds are a good sour...

Three Facts About African Penguins Living up to 20 years African penguins are flightless marine birds coming in a variety of sizes and colors. Growing to be about 26.5 to 27.5 inches tall and weighing between 4.4 and 11 pounds the endangered African Penguin lives on the Southern coast of Africa. African penguins breed from Hollams Bird Island Namibia to Bird Island Algoa Bay in South Africa. Gansbaai South Africa Dyer Island is a protected bird sanctuary home to large colonies of threatened African Penguins. Three Facts About African Penguins Fact 1 The African penguin, or black-footed penguin, is also nicknamed the jackass penguin because it’s mating call sounds like a whinnying donkey. They spend their days at sea feeding and their nights gathered together on shore. Like all penguins, African penguins are much more agile in water than on land swimming up to 12 miles per hour. Each penguin eats about one pound of fish per day feeding on small fish such as sardines and a...

The cocoa supply chain in Ghana key actors and challenges Farmers in Africa grow 70 percent of the world’s cocoa and Singapore's Olam International Limited is a major player in the global cocoa business. Drying cocoa beans in the sun in Ghana Olam processing Cocoa farming is an important industry in Ghana, one of the largest cocoa-producing countries in the world. The country has a long history of cocoa cultivation, with the crop playing a significant role in the country's economy and culture. Cocoa farming in Ghana is predominantly carried out by small-scale farmers who cultivate the crop on small plots of land. These farmers typically use traditional farming methods, including hand pruning and harvesting, and rely on family labor and a limited amount of hired labor. Cocoa trees are often intercropped with other crops, such as plantains or maize, which can help provide additional income and food security for farmers. The cocoa supply chain in Ghana is complex, with mu...

The palm oil tree is also known as Elaeis Guineensis and is native to West and Southwest Africa. Nearly 85 percent of the world’s palm oil comes from Indonesia and Malaysia; the other major growing countries are Thailand, Colombia, Nigeria, and Papua New Guinea. All About Palm Oil African palm oil aka macaw-fat is the world’s most popular and most purchased vegetable oil making up about 35 percent of the total international trade in cooking oils. The Palm oil tree has many uses and no part of the tree goes to waste. The tree is used to make world-famous palm wine and local medicines,. The leaves may also be used to make thatches, which are often used as roofing material in certain areas. In West Africa, palm oil is a major food item and it is typically used for making goods with its natural flavor and red color having a unique effect on a dish. Palm oil can be harvested 12 months of the year accounting for 35 percent of the world's vegetable oil market. ...