By By Ntozanele Libimbi
Bibliophiles, and food lovers alike, gathered on the 19th September to enjoy the UJ 2018 Edible book festival at the UJ Library’s Chinua Achebe Auditorium.
It was a festival consisting of culinary geniuses exhibiting their book inspired masterpieces. The annual event is on its third year and this year’s theme is inspired by the fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0.
“The main idea for this year is to incorporate the fourth industrial revolution, so participants can do anything different that reflects the fourth industrial revolution. From robotics to anything they can imagine,” said the event’s coordinator, Theodora Modise.
She added to say that, “even though, we haven’t entered that revolution . . . we are working towards it.” The event aimed at allowing individuals, both UJ staff and students, to be creative with their food.
Inspirations behind the creations
The Festival included cakes inspired by books of different genres, ranging from children’s books all the way to erotica.
One of the cakes was Ester De Broize’s Internet of Things. She was inspired by the way the internet connects people around the world. “You can be anywhere and still be able to connect to the internet,” De Broize said.
Last year’s winner Xolisa Mngqibisa created a candy inspired cake based on the popular children’s book How God gave us Ice-cream. “It’s about the grace of God, blessing the cows to produce the cream that makes ice cream. The cone above is the representation of God’s grace falling to the children,” Mngqibisa said.
Decolonizing the Culinary Industry
The event also played host to a discussion with chef Nompumelelo Mqwebu. She self-published the critically acclaimed cookbook Through The Eyes Of An African Chef. The book is inspired by the lack of cookbooks with African indigenous recipes.
The main aim of the book is to decolonize the culinary industry and to uplift African cuisine. “My book is saying to people it’s alright to write about our (African) food,” Mqwebu said.
The cookbook has not only documented her passion for food but has also made sure that indigenous recipes will be recorded in a more tangible form. TOJ
[SLIDESHOW] UJ 2018 Edible Book Festival
Reporting Ntozanele Libimbi; Editing by Amber Richardson and Gaby Ndongo
Image courtesy to Gaby Ndongo
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