About the AfroLiberation Potluck

During our recent camp, we embarked on a unique culinary journey that featured injera, Shiro sauce, beans, and kimchi for lunch, all following a delightful calabash of porridge. Millet took centre stage at dinner, we practically lived on millet throughout the entire camp! Paired with vegetables, beans, and other side dishes, it was a wholesome and delightful experience. I must say, my gut bacteria are thriving, and I’m absolutely loving it. Food is the ultimate weapon – whichever angle you interpret this, yes, it’s that deep. 

On May 25th, we celebrate Afrika and her quest for independence with the establishment of the Organization of African Unity. But let’s be real—every day should be a celebration of our Afrikaness and an awareness of the greatness of being Afrikan. While I don’t agree with confining our pride to a single day, we must work with what we have, especially in our neo-colonized society. The borders drawn by the white men at the Berlin Conference need to be erased. This sparks a philosophical debate: one faction of the continent is content with these borders, having known them for generations, while another faction dreams of their removal, the restoration of our original names, and the creation of one government with many Nations based on our diverse peoples.

Politics aside, let me tell you about the AfroLiberation Potluck. Have you ever been to a potluck where everyone’s food clashed? What would you do with two ugalis, rice, spaghetti, potatoes and pilau? Not at our potluck. The Ital potluck. Big up to Orudi the 3rd for preparing enough injera and Shiro to feed 20 people and still have leftovers. I brought a jar of kimchi, Furaha and Baibui brought fruits, Nekesa had beans, Odanga had dates, Waweru provided the space, and the rest brought grateful taste buds and good vibes. Ital potlucks are the realest, especially because of the love and insightful conversations we shared.

One of the things that stood out for me was the monotony of the rat race. This relentless grind has robbed us of our connection to farming and nature, our ability to explore hobbies and our innate talents outside the confines of the office and workplace. We’ve been living in boxes and working in another box. Bullshit!

People of all races should regularly come together to share meals like we did. In these gatherings, we learn from each other, dissect the evils of colonisation, and dive into solutions for individuals and communities. In these sharp spaces, iron sharpens iron. And we do it barefoot, free, and in the open shade of grand croton trees, enjoying the canopies of acacia trees and the nests the sparrows built. I’m not trading this for money and back pains when I have the entire resource of nature at my disposal. A lifestyle that will leave you licking big pharma’s foot.

Colonization was a process that unfolded over about 400 years on the continent, and today we have become neocolonized. The colonization process was very strategic. The spiritual leaders were taken out first, especially after realizing Afrika’s power and wisdom lay in our interaction with the mysticism of life. Many healers were burned at the stake, and the rigorous outreaches to convert our people to Christianity and Islam and turn away from our culture were constant. Concentration camps were used to tame those who resisted the imposed changes. These camps broke our people through the most inhumane and torturous means known to man. The evils that arise from the logical brain (the white man’s) are sinister and conniving, especially because of their compartmentalized worldview.

As the people’s resistance power dwindled after it was beaten, raped, and mutilated from them, they decided to reluctantly live the colonizers’ way. This is what was termed as collaboration in our history books. Collaboration is such a positive force, misplaced in this context as it is far from the reality of what actually happened. No Afrikan collaborated with the white man. Ever. Even those who willingly became askaris and evangelists had to face major cognitive dissonance.

Today, the rat race is the main askari of the neo-colonial era. The need for money to pay taxes to a government run by home guards who open channels to our resources is pervasive. We must rise above the illusion and explore ways to educate our children and embrace a farm-to-fork lifestyle as we relish life’s adventures. It is foolish to look down on farm work. Even explorers depended on fruits and hunted game—respectfully. It is foolish to think nature is our playground to exploit and that some people must suffer for others to enjoy.

Food is not just for filling the belly. No wonder folks today are belly-full but hungry. Because religion and rat race activity do not satisfy. Food is the single subject that can spark a return to Black Excellence. Forget vaccines. We are what we eat. Do you think about what you put in your mouth? How you eat is a mirror of how you treat yourself. Because how you do one thing is how you do everything. As within so without. Life is a gentle dance guided by the law of correspondence. By looking at your plate, you can learn your values and principles, and innerstand the illusions or realities that create the frames of your outlook. Or not. 

In our AfroLiberation Potluck, took our time outside the rat race, and did what humans do. We prayed, shared, ate and walked. We came together, shared meals, and had insightful conversations under the shade of nature. Let’s continue to cultivate these connections and rise above the rat race. Embrace our Afrikaness, and our roots, and utilise our creativity as it is where our sustenance comes from, and our natural resources. Together, we can create a future where we are free from the chains of neo-colonialism and fully in tune with our heritage and the land that sustains us.