Chief Saurombe from Chimanimani district is encouraging Zimbabweans to eat healthy traditional foods by retracing their steps back to traditional seeds. The Chief, who is working closely with Zimbabwe Seed Sovereignty Programme (ZSSP) partner, Towards Sustainable Use of Resources Organisation (TSURO) Trust says traditional seed is an integral component in reviving Zimbabwe’s culture and reconnecting Zimbabweans to their true identity.
The Chief, who is also responsible for promoting and upholding cultural values especially the preservation of the extended family and the promotion of traditional family life under Zimbabwe’s Traditional Leaders Act (Chapter 29:17) is a strong advocate supporting efforts aimed at strengthening farmer managed seed systems in Chimanimani.
“Traditional seeds are our identity. In ancient days we had in abundance crops like sorghum, millet and multiple varieties of groundnuts and beans. Our ancestors ate these foods and they had a much higher life expectancy than we do today,” says Chief Saurombe.
Many studies on health and nutrition show benefits of consuming traditional and organic foods. Chief Saurombe reiterates these benefits based on lived realities in Chimanimani. He says when a person gets sick, health officials encourage caregivers to give the person porridge made from millet. “Within days, the individual recovers,” he says.
“The decline in life expectancy has been caused by the food we eat. We now have diseases like sugar diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer – diseases that were unheard of during the days of our forefathers. This is being caused by eating foods that have been genetically modified and grown using chemicals,” he adds.
The Chief says Zimbabweans especially the young generation need to retrace their steps back to traditional seed and food production systems that ensure good health. This, he says, can be achieved by removing the mentality which perceives traditional diets as inferior to western diets.
There is a general consensus in Zimbabwe that the young generation needs to be retaught how to eat and prepare Zimbabwean traditional dishes. This can only be achieved if custodian communities are seed sovereign.
“We are saying, these seeds belong to us. They were not genetically modified because our ancestors practised seed saving,” says Chief Saurombe.
“We appreciate the work being done by PELUM Zimbabwe to revive and promote traditional seeds, in Chimanimani. Farmers meet and exchange and share knowledge on traditional seeds. Going forward, we need to also focus on decolonizing the minds of people who have been led to believe that traditional seed and food is rubbish,” he adds.
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