So, in the wake of recent events, it seems my opinion of Mozambiques food was slightly biased. The food riots in Maputo, that left 13 dead and lods injured, happened while I wa still in the country, and were largely because of the rise in food costs. So the delicious bread that only cost 2 meticals a short time ago, now costs 5 or 6, as far as I understand. The increases placed basic consumer items, like cooking oil, gas, and bread out of the reach of the average Mozambican, who is desperately poor already. Furthermore, a large segment of the Mozambican population suffers from malnutrition- 44% of children uner five suffer from chronic illness and malnutrition, and there are other equally horrifying statistics that make one wonder how I missed this there.
But the reality is, compared to neighbouring Malawi and Zimbabwe, the food is excellent. And the range of ingredients is so much more colourful and carefully presented than the potatoes, cabbage and tomatoes of Malawi. But this was never meant to be a thorough analysis of Africans diets, but rather to skim the top, to have a peak and see what I can.
No comments:
Post a Comment