Page 42 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 18

Food Health

The issue of Covid came to show and so forth. Because it is not a very
us that food sovereignty is very real, obvious issue, it flies under the radar
because you cannot afford to have of people when we are discussing is-
food coming to you through your sues that affect Afrikans, but people
ports, because if there is anything need to know that there is a strong
that goes wrong with the geopolitics lobby to try and influence the kind
of this earth, then your people are of food systems that we have in our
going to suffer. So, food must come countries.
from as close a source as possible,
and I think when you are doing that Afrika is the home of probably the
then you end up having to be more greatest biodiversity on the planet,
responsible. Because… if you want that means that we have seeds that
to grow that food then you are very our ancestors have used to feed
likely not to pollute the river (in themselves for millennia. There are
your area), but when you are dis- different types of varieties and these
connected with how food comes… varieties only exist because peas-
You know there are all sorts of ant farmers or small-scale farmers
things that are done to food. Food have kept these seeds, they have
is sprayed with different kinds of farmed these seeds in the different
chemicals and so forth. Food sover- regions they have grown, and these
eat, you have to replenish your body eignty is a very important issue that seeds have come to us as a legacy
with energy. Food then becomes every single Afrikan youth should be of thousands of years of use by
political, because this whole world involved with in your mind. human beings on this planet. But
is about power, as we have experi- unfortunately, the commercial lobby
enced as Afrikan nations who know Food sovereignty is about your is reducing that biodiversity, because
what it is to be living in a post-colo- dignity. It is not because the in- for commerce you are looking for
nial regime. Food sovereignty is an dustrial suppliers want to produce certain traits in the seeds and so
issue that is very important to every maize so it means that everybody because there is a business behind
single Afrikan because it is about eats a certain maize which is grown the whole commerce, what hap-
your rights to be able to grow what because the next people who use pens is that the smaller less wanted
you want to eat, to be able to grow it are from industry and so on and varieties vanish, but that does not
the types of food you want, and so forth. The decision of food is a mean that that variety was not
more issues than just simple food personal one. I know you are from useful. Sometimes that variety is
security. Food security is just about Kenya; it means that even within the one that is the most resistant to
the availability of food, it does not Kenya there are different areas with certain pests in the area; sometimes
matter what kind of food it is, as different food preferences and it that variety is the one that is most
long as there is some food there, does not mean that everybody has able to withstand drought. And so,
that means you are food secure. But to eat the same thing because it is it is very important that we respect
food sovereignty goes beyond that. commercially viable. This is an issue the rights of farmers to be able to
Are you eating the food you want that is taking place in every single save and exchange seeds, and what
to eat in a responsible manner? Are Afrikan country, where the issue of you will find is, in certain Afrikan
you eating food that was grown by power that comes behind food is countries, there is now legislation
not polluting the rivers and water being played real on the stage with being introduced in order to fit into
bodies that are in the environs? Are different actors. We happen to be the global status quo that they want
you eating and growing food that the actors on the side that says that to establish, which is that we are just
did not cheat the labor that worked food is a right, access to food is a going to continue to be ‘hewers of
to create that food? So, there is a basic human right, that the need to wood and drawers of water’.
wider aspect of food sovereignty preserve the environment, the need
and we believe that is what Afrikan to preserve the balance of the earth In order to make the most of our
countries and Afrikan policy makers is what comes as a bigger priority to resources, and our great endow-
should be more aware of. us than the branding of the food, ment, biodiversity is something that
and the marketing of the food, and we must cherish. It is not a big deal
the pricing of the food and so on to us to have a company come into

42 | we tell the true afrikan story