“I cooked kapenta for my son and he screamed in fear. He had never seen these little creatures with open eyes in his plate before. This automatically triggered something in me! We, diasporians have for a long time left our traditional foods for what’s readily available here. We are raising generations who do not appreciate the beauty of Zimbabwean cuisines, music, games and the authenticity of what entails being proudly Zimbabwean”

Chipo Marongwe, a health enthusiast who believes in the role of exercise and nutrition in boosting a healthy lifestyle partnered with her friend, Tornia Matayaya, a chef to come up with an event aimed at celebrating Zimbabwean traditional foods as well as bring the community together during Africa day commemorations, in May. 

“All roads lead to Centurion, where we are bringing the Zimbabwean community together in order to network and play while also appreciating the beauty of Zimbabwean cuisines, music and games. The venue is a farm and hence a family friendly environment,” Marongwe highlighted.

This is a first of many to come as this event will complement the many efforts taken by Chipo to encourage people to live healthy lives.

“In the age of non-communicable diseases, I believe it is an onus on everyone to take care of their health. I run a hiking group that encourages people from all walks of life to go out in nature and hike while snacking healthily“

The hiking group has done well that she is eyeing developing strategies to make it a full-fledged business.

She said: “Business is about finding solutions to problems and the problem I have seen among many people today is lack of time to exercise. People are usually glued to their screens throughout the week bending to the unending demands of the twenty first century and so I have taken it upon myself to encourage people to take a single day to engage in hiking. We have come up with stylish apparels, bottle drinks, bags, whistles among many items that aim to bring the glitz to this kind of exercise. We hope to grow our membership in order to achieve sustainable development goal 3 that focuses on health and wellness.”

In some studies, the high suicide rates among diasporians has been attributed to lack of psychosocial support and belonging. The Africa day event aims at bringing the community together to share challenges and support each other while sharing successes and tips for such.

“Yes, this is a day to dance to our music from legends like Tuku, Simon Chimbetu, Thomas Mapfumo, Mbuya Stella Chiweshe among many others.It is also  a day to do skills exchange by sharing tips for success. Everyone is invited to take part and those who would like to exhibit any Zimbabwean wares are also welcome to buy space for such.”

Hakudanwi anonzwa! Multitudes are encouraged to diarise the first of May 2022 as a day they all head to Willow feather farm portion 37. Sterkfontein Doringkloof Centurion to taste Zimbabwen cusines, play traditionl games, enjoy the brews and network.