Grace Gaffey (Lower Sixth)

On Tuesday 9th February, the African and Caribbean Society (ACS) hosted a virtual open meeting for girls in the Senior School on the topic of ‘Food Glorious Food’ with the focus question of ‘How does food help us to connect with different cultures?’.

The meeting began with attendees sharing their favourite foods from around the world, allowing everyone to see how food offers the opportunity to step foot in a country without even going there. Aisha (Lead Ambassador of the ACS) then led us on a whistle-stop culinary journey through Africa and the Caribbean discussing the variety of food found in various countries, such as South Africa, Congo and Egypt. Some of her recommendations included chapatis from Kenya, jollof rice from Nigeria and Jamaican jerk chicken.

A key idea from the meeting was the way that food can unite cultures. For example, the links between West African and Caribbean cuisine which have formed as a result of cooking traditions and crops being brought from Africa during the slave trade. An example of this is Jamaica’s national dish, Ackee and Saltfish, a staple breakfast in many households. Even though this represents Jamaican culture, the ackee fruit is actually native to West Africa and is thought to have been brought over via the journeys of the middle passage.

The ACS aims to enlighten, empower and transform. In this meeting, we enlightened girls about food from African and Caribbean cultures, giving them the opportunity to learn outside of the classroom. Additionally, girls were empowered by being in a space which enabled them to share their ideas surrounding their cultures and food, and finally, to transform any misconceptions people may have about food from cultures that they do identify with. Open meetings are a key part of the ACS as we believe they provide the chance for girls, from any culture or background, to speak freely on topics not necessarily covered in the curriculum whilst simultaneously educating themselves through any knowledge shared by others.