The Executive Secretary of CERDOTOLA, Prof Charles BINAM BIKOI pointed out to participants, the press and invited guests that Africa Food Heritage dubbed ALIPA represents feeding as a culture and venue for standardisation that will create riches to the population and communities depending on the geographical location. He made this statement during the launching of the new program African Food Heritage -ALIPA.
Prof. Binam Bikoi continued that we as Africans should not be ashamed that we were conquered but the abomination is if we do not take into account measures that will make us to triumph. One of this is through food heritage, food security so as to lead us to a new freedom for Africa.
Cameroon is Africa in-miniature with over 200 ethnic groups that have their own specific dishes. This declaration was made by the representative of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Minister Delegate, Mrs. Clementine Ananga Messina. She described African women as the custodians of agricultural diversity, and said Africa is a continent with expanded cultural heritage, rich, dense with wide-ranging natural resources.
Cameroon, according to her, has specific dishes like Khati Khati, Mbongo Chobi, Ndole as well as a variety of fruits and drinks. She went ahead to invite the foreign participants not to miss an opportunity to try some of these diets. One of her main concern is food security and hopes that this workshop will propose solutions to this problem as well as to climate change, and the need to transform our own food. An example she gave in Cameroon is the transformation of cassava to produce flour to bake bread.
This International Workshop on African Food Heritage is bringing together participants from the founding member States of CERDOTOLA and representatives of other African nations and beyond.
The opening ceremony was followed by workshop at the premises of CERDOTOLA in Yaounde to hold from the 24-26th of May 2017, under the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.