Pottery making in Africa began around 9400 BC and continues to this day.

Forming a large clay pot by hand

Pottery is one of the oldest and most widespread of functional arts in Africa.

Creating African clay pots in Africa is unique. Pottery making has a long history in Africa and is one of the oldest functional arts using what is available in natural surroundings. Pottery is clay that is modeled, dried, and fired having practical uses in cooking, storing food, eating, drinking, and as ceremonial vessels. 

In most cases, pottery is made by women. Clay pots are often thick created from clay, sand, and water and used daily in African life. African pottery artists have always used raw materials easily found in the environment. Clay is made by mixing dry clay with water in clay mixer. Clay straight from the ground in Africa is not like the clay you buy from a ceramic clay store or hobby supplier. It contains unwanted materials such as rocks and twigs and needs to be processed to remove before working into pottery. 

A screening removes stones, roots, and other larger particles. Before firing, the pot gets decorated by impressing or carving of the pot, some times the design is religious or sometimes just decorative. 

After decoration, the pots are left in the sun to dry, if in a place where it rain often, the pots are placed in a dry hut or room or near a fire to dry completely over time. Firing temperatures can vary from as low as 1382°F and to as high as 2372 °F for stoneware. 

The firing of the pots begins when a thick layer of burning material is laid on the ground on which the dried pots are laid out, after the first layer of pots a second layer of burning material is laid on top of the pots. If there are many pots the pots are layer out layer upon layer with burning material between them. 

If the pottery is glazed, most time the salt glazing technique is used. This process involves throwing wet salt into the heated fire or kiln while the bisque ware is being fired. Wet salt at high temperatures decomposed to sodium and chlorine. The sodium reacts with the bisque ware to form a glaze.

Pots ready for firing

Clay is found in abundance everywhere on the African continent. Gathering the right type of clay is the first step, African women who have been making pots for generations are able to recognize good clay and other materials for making durable pottery. 

The Ovambo, Kavango, and Caprivi tribes in Namibia, use the hardened clay from termite hills, as it contains the glue saliva from the termites. This termite clay makes pots quite strong and helps with the binding of the clay in forming the pot. 

Pottery has a utilitarian use in cooking, storing food items, eating, drinking, and as ritual vessels. Tools used to make pottery are anything easily available such as a rock with a somewhat flat bottom, or a stick. 

Clay is worked by hand and shaped and fashioned into the desired shape free hand by pinching, coiling, and slabs work. Coiling is the technique of rolling out coils of clay and joining to the pot using slip.

Coiling has been used to shape clay into vessels for many thousands of years in Africa. After drying, the pots are put around a pile of wood, bark or dried animal dung and baked outdoors in a large open fire for many hours. 

In 2007, the Swiss-led team of archaeologists discovered pieces of the oldest African pottery in central Mali, dating back to at least 9,400BC. The discovery was made by Geneva University's Eric Huysecom and his international research team, at Ounjougou near the Unesco-listed Bandiagara cliffs. 

The age of the sediment in which they were found suggests that the six ceramic fragments - discovered between 2002 and 2005 - are at least 11,400 years old. Most ancient ceramics from the Middle East and the central and eastern Sahara regions are 10,000 and between 9-10,000 years old. 

Since the launch of the project in 1997, the team has made numerous discoveries about ancient stone-cutting techniques and tools, and other important findings that shed light on human development in the region. But the unearthing of the ancient fragments of burnt clay is one of the most significant to date.

Huysecom is convinced that pottery was invented in West Africa to enable man to adapt to climate change. "Apart from finding the oldest ceramic in Africa, the interesting thing is that it gives us information about when and under what circumstances man can invent new things, such as pottery," he explained. "And the invention of ceramic is linked to specific environmental conditions – the transformation of the region from a desert into grassland." 

The invention of ceramic also coincided with that of small arrowheads - also discovered by the team – and which were probably used to hunt hares, pheasants and other small game on the grassy plains. To date, East Asia – the triangle between Siberia, China, and Japan – is the only other area where similar pottery and arrowheads have been found which are as old as those in West Africa, explained Huysecom.

Adding coils to the pot

Since 9400 BC pottery is one of the most widespread of functional arts in Africa.

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6. What is back to Africa

Plantains, creamy sauce, and spices in this classic gratin recipe dish combine to make a delightful new food experience.

Plantains are an important staple food in Africa especially in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Uganda. What are plantains? Plantains are fruits that resemble bananas but are longer, have a thicker skin, and contain more starch.

Creamy Cheesy Plantain Gratin Recipe

Creamy Cheesy Plantain Gratin Recipe

Ingredients

3 peeled and chopped green plantains

1 cup any grated medium-hard cheese

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup all purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add plantains to a large pot of boiling water, boil 5 minutes. 

Drain plantains set aside. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, add the flour and whisk thoroughly. 

Gradually add the milk, whisking until it thickens, then stir in seasonings and cheese. 

Put a layer of plantains in an 8x8 baking dish, sprinkle some cheese over them, then add a layer of sauce.

Repeat the layers. 

Sprinkle the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs over the top. 

Bake 15 minutes until golden brown. 

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Banksy's identity remains a mystery, and he has gone to great lengths to conceal his true identity, so it is difficult to say with certainty where he has been or what he has done. 

 

While Banksy's artwork has been spotted in various locations around the world, there is no record of him visiting Africa or creating any works of art on the continent. However, some of his works have been auctioned in African cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town. 

While Banksy himself has never confirmed visiting Africa or creating any works on the continent, his artworks have been sold at various auctions and galleries in African cities. For example, in 2017, a Banksy artwork titled Heavy Weaponry sold for $187,500 at an auction in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Heavy Weaponry is a Banksy artwork that was first unveiled in New York City in 2013 as part of the artist's month-long residency called "Better Out Than In". 

The artwork depicts a military tank with a pink bow on its cannon, and a brightly colored bouquet of flowers bursting out from the end of the barrel. The artwork was created on a wall in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and quickly became a popular attraction for both art lovers and tourists. 

However, the artwork was vandalized shortly after its creation, and Banksy later covered it with a sheet of plexiglass to protect it from further damage. 

In 2017, a version of "Heavy Weaponry" was sold at an auction in Johannesburg, South Africa, for $187,500. The artwork was one of several Banksy works sold at the auction, which was organized by Stephan Welz & Co., a South African auction house. 

The sale of Heavy Weaponry in South Africa was seen as a significant event in the country's art scene, as it demonstrated the growing interest and demand for contemporary art in Africa. It also highlighted Banksy's global popularity and the value of his works in the art market. 

Slave Labour is a Banksy mural that was created in 2012 in London's Wood Green neighborhood. The mural depicts a young boy hunched over a sewing machine, stitching together a string of Union Jack bunting. 

The mural was seen as a commentary on the exploitation of child labor in the production of souvenirs for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The mural quickly became a local landmark and drew attention from art lovers and Banksy fans from around the world. 

However, in 2013, the mural was removed from the wall of the Poundland discount store where it was located, under mysterious circumstances. Later that year, the mural was put up for auction at a private auction house in London, and there was widespread outrage among local residents and the art community over its sale. 

Despite calls for the mural to be returned to its original location, it was ultimately sold to an anonymous bidder for over £750,000 (approximately $1.1 million at the time). In 2018, a version of the Slave Labour mural was sold again at a private auction in Cape Town, South Africa, to a private collector for an undisclosed amount. 

The sale of the mural in South Africa sparked renewed controversy and debate over the ethics of selling street art and the ownership of public art.

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From Africa to the United States, fish is an abundant resource that contributes significantly to daily food, income and employment of millions of people. Simple fried African fish cakes is a universal recipe loved throughout the world.

In one of my earliest memories, my father, brothers, and I would dig for worms, make fishing poles out of cane sticks, attached a fishing line, hooks to catch bream, and other freshwater fish.  We would spend hours fishing, so we could have fried fish for supper. Mom would clean the fish and filet on the shore of the lake. She would roll the fish in equal amounts of flour and cornmeal mixed with salt and pepper, and pan fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. There is nothing better than fresh caught fish for supper.

Another recipe I fondly remember is fried fish cakes.

Simple Fried African Fish Cakes Recipe

  

Ingredients

2 smoked fish filets

1/2 cup of dried bread crumbs  

1 large egg, slightly beaten 

2 tablespoons of chopped onions 

2 tablespoons of whole milk 

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes  

¼ cup vegetable oil  

Directions

Heat oil in a medium frying pan. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Shape the mixture into equal size patties.  Fry patties on both sides until golden brown.

Thawing frozen fish in milk will draw out the frozen taste and provide a fresh-caught flavor.

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In Ghana, children are given a name based on the day in the week they are born. Day names have further meanings concerning the character of the person

Trendy names have little meaning and have little to no relevance to the African family however, Ghana soul names are already chosen and boys and girls are born into this world with ties to the ancestors and living family.

Hearing and sharing name soul names fastens a person with their ancestral tribe creating an inner strength in the soul and fills the inner self with spiritual intenseness. Men and women Ghana soul name or day names are explained below.

Men Ghana soul name or day name 

Sunday born males names are Akwasi, Kwasi, Kwesi, Akwesi, Sisi, Kacely, or Kosi.

Monday born males names are Kojo, Kwadwo, Jojo, Joojo, or Kujoe.

Tuesday born males names are Kwabena, Kobe, Kobi, Ebo, Kabelah, Komla, Kwabela, Kobby, or Kobena.

Wednesday born males names are Kwaku, Abeiku, Kuuku, or Kweku.

Thursday born males names are Yaw, Ekow, or Yao.

Friday born males names are Kofi, Fifi, Fiifi, or Yoofi.

Saturday born males names are Kwame, Kwamena, or Kwamina.

Women Ghana soul name or day name

Sunday born female names are Akosua, Akasi, Akos, Esi, or Awesi.

Monday born female names are Adwoa, Adjoa, Adzoa, or Adwoma.

Tuesday born female names are Abena, Araba, or Abenayo.

Wednesday born female names are Akua, Aku, Kukua,or Akuma.

Thursday born female names are Aba, Yaa, Yawa, Baaba, or Awo.

Friday born female names are Afua, Afia, Afi, or Efua.

Saturday born female name is Ama.

Ghana soul name African Proverbs

To give is to store.

People who remove honey from a beehive are always two.

To ask is the desire to know the way.

A relationship is in the soles of the feet.

Everything has its own time.

All wisdom is not taught in school.

The clever person is not overcome by difficulties.

To be called is to be sent.

Travelling is learning.

More articles on the street festival food of Ghana, African Kente Cloth Legend and Three African Tribes Hair Ceremonies Traditions and Rituals.

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Adding edible flowers to recipes is a very common practice. Eating flower blooms has a very long history in Africa. Squash and zucchini flowers are a common sight in African kitchens. 

Squash and zucchini flowers are a common
sight in African kitchens.

Every year around springtime during the months of September, October and November, the desert South Africa Namaqualand region comes alive with a sea of colorful indigenous wild flowers. 

With the blessings from Mother Nature, Namaqualand displays around 1,000 - 4,000 different species of plants and flowers each season. Many flowers are inedible however; five flowers are commonly used in cooking African food.

Edible flowers are flowers that can be consumed safely, below are five edible flowers to add to your home recipes. Always try to pick the blooms as close to when you are going to use them as possible.

Five Edible Recipe Flowers 

Arugula Flowers

Young arugula flowers have a milder, subtler flavor than the arugula leaves, and can be used in many of the same dishes, such as salads and many egg dishes.

Starflowers

Blue borage, also known as a starflowers are the perfect flower to add to salads, as they have a taste similar to that of cucumber. The blue flowers are very beautiful and look impressive in a fruit salad.

Squash, Pumpkin and Zucchini Flowers

Squash, pumpkin and zucchini flowers are a common sight in African kitchens. Squash and zucchini plants are a valuable crop as they produce a large number of flowers on each plant, meaning you can harvest some flowers and still leave plenty behind to turn into vegetables.

Broccoli Flowers

Broccoli flowers add a milder broccoli taste to dishes, pairing well with salad greens where their bright yellow color stands out.

Chive Flowers

Chives are a member of the onion family with beautiful purple flowers. They are a great addition to mashed potatoes, adding striking purple flecks of color.

New recipe

Pumpkin Leaves Stew

Chibwabwa pumpkin leaves stew recipe is warm, comforting recipe full of healthy pumpkin leaves. Pumpkin plants have large, dark green, lobed leaves containing plenty of fiber, iron, protein, calcium, vitamin A, C and per one cup of leaves, there are only 7 calories.

Ingredients

3 handfuls young pumpkin leaves

1 medium onion chopped

2 medium tomatoes diced

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon black and red pepper
1 diced hot pepper

2 cups water

Salt to taste

Directions

Add all ingredients simmer 30 minutes. Serve with rice or bread.

Mound building termites of East, Central, and Southern Africa can serve as an oasis in the African desert to plants by replenishing the soil.

Giant African Termite Mounds

About Giant African Termite Mounds

Queen termites can live up to decades under ideal climate conditions. Giant mound-building termites are a group of termite species that live in mounds and look like whitish brown grains of rice with big heads and hedge-trimmers for mouthparts.

According to the New York Times “Researchers at Princeton University and their colleagues recently reported in the journal Science that termite mounds may serve as oases in the desert, allowing the plants that surround them to persist on a fraction of the annual rainfall otherwise required and to bounce back after a withering drought.

”By poking holes or macropores, as they dig through the ground, termites allow rain to soak deep into the soil rather than running off or evaporating. They’re the ultimate soil engineers,” said David Bignell, a termite expert and emeritus professor of zoology at Queen Mary University of London. Termites all belong to the phylum Arthropoda, the class Insecta, and the order Isoptera. There are over 2,000 different species of termites. 

Termites are extraordinary engineers, capable of building mounds standing as tall as 40 feet high and 60 feet wide and continue to build on the same mounds for centuries. Termite mounds can take four to five years to build from the termites’ saliva, dung and surrounding soil.

Inside the termite mound is an extensive system of tunnels and channels that serve as a ventilation system keeping the internal temperature relatively constant. Like most social insects such as ants and bees, termites live in societies where the collective power of the group surpasses that of the individual termite.

Mound-building termites live in Africa, India, Australia, and South America. Only a few of them 3,000 or so known termite species are pests to people moreover, the mound-building termites of East, Central, and Southern Africa can serve as oases in the desert to plants by replenishing the soil.

Together we build awareness that boost harmony, education, and success, below are more links to articles you will find thought provoking.

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Bad things happen to good people African Proverbs teach how to cope.

Life can be unfair African proverbs teach us we can accept things and get on with the business of living happily even though life is unfair.

Sometimes life is just unfair African Proverbs

Life Can Be Unfair African Proverbs

A story is narrated by whoever tells it first.

A rose sometimes falls to the lot of a monkey.

If the wind blows, it enters at every crevice.

 

A monkey is only sick when the trees slide.

God does not pay weekly but pays at the end.

As you began the dance, you may pay the piper.

 

Where the bee sucks honey, the spider sucks poison.

Water from far does not quench thirsty.

A child can be punished because of his father’s faults.

 

The one you eat with is the one who digs your grave.

The past can never be changed.

A monkey does not see its ass.

 

A greedy man has his eyes on his wife’s pot.

Empty fingers are not licked.

A snake lives in a hole that it can’t dig.

 

A bird doesn’t farm but still gets food.

An old rabbit is breastfed by his children.

A bad tree destroys the field.

Links to more African Proverbs

The wrong words are remembered for life, these African proverbs teach life is unfair at times.

African proverbs bring people together, read and study more proverbs, quotes, and sayings from the African continent.

African Proverbs Are Often Difficult To Understand

Telling African Folklore Stories in East Africa

Proverbs are the official language of the African Nation

Monday Morning African Proverb Quotes

Prepare the Mind for Elevation

One item a prepper’s food pantry must have to survive a catastrophe is South African biltong.

Preppers best-tasting survival food recipe, survive a disaster with survival dry biltong meat.

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

1-19-2016

Biltong is traditional dried meat from Southern Africa however, biltong is not beef jerky. Biltong is substantially softer and thicker than jerky because it is air-dried whole for around 20 days and then cut into the desired amount.

The basic traditional drying method of meat is called sun drying, done by direct solar radiation and natural air circulation. 

Ingredients and Directions

In a clean area free from critters, dirt, sand, and litter, meat pieces are cut into thin .5 or 1 cm thick strips, dipped in a 14% table salt solution, and suspended in the open air or spread on drying trays made of wire mesh. The salt helps to limit microbial growth on the meat surfaces. You can add your own mix of dried spices such as garlic or chili powder mixed with the salt solution. The sun drying method can be done on relatively small pieces of meat in the course of one day, 8-10 hours drying time. Store meat in a sterilized sealed mason jar away from moisture in a dry place. Treat dehydrated meat as you would any canned meat after opening.

Did you know?
Preppers or survivalists are people who are actively preparing for emergencies, and who has prepared to survive in the anarchy of an anticipated breakdown of society.

Enjoy the best tasting survival food recipe, survive a disaster with survival dry biltong meat and try these other African food recipes.

Also, learn facts about Africa.
Liberian Kanya is a creamy no-bake peanut candy
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African Countries and Capitals That Begin with M Word Search
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All 54 African countries have national anthems.

Lake Retba natural pink lake in Senegal East Africa is at its height of rosy pinkness during the dry season between November and June.

Lake Retba Senegal Pink Lake

Not many living organisms are able to survive in Senegal's pink Lake Retba because of its high salt content.

In Africa, there is a natural lake the color of strawberries, Lake Retba or Le Lac Rose lies in Senegal one hour from its capital city Dakar. The lake is named for its pink waters caused by an edible, salt-loving micro-algae dunaliella salina.

Lake Retba or Lac Rose as it is known by locals is separated only by some narrow dunes from the Atlantic Ocean and, as expected its salt content is very high. Its salinity content compares to that of the Dead Sea and during the dry season it exceeds it.

The lake is only 3 square kilometers big (about 1,1 square miles) and there is no major town developed along its shores. The natural strawberry pink lake of East Africa’s Senegal is a world famous tourist attraction. However Lake Retba pink waters is a source of income for African families who mine her salt.

Salt miners who work on extracting salt from the lake use shea butter obtained from the shea nut tree to protect their skin from cracking and drying. The Dunaliella salina bacteria which gives the lake its distinct color is completely harmless to humans and swimming in the lake is possible.

It is estimated 1,000 people work around Le Lac Rose collecting 24,000 tons of the salt each year. Over half of the salt from Lake Retba is exported throughout Africa. With a maximum depth of less than ¼ mile, it contains a significant amount of salt that is labored by salt miners and exported throughout the world for cooking, leather goods and deicing roads.

Lake Retba or Le Lac Rose lake was the finish line of the well-known Dakar Rally before it moved to South America in 2008 due to security threats.

Cassava also known as arrowroot, yucca, manioc, and tapioca is a nutrient-rich root vegetable. 

Cassava is the third most important source of calories in tropical Africa, after rice and maize. The cassava plant is a staple crop in Africa, different parts of the plant such as the root; leaves are used in herbal remedies. Families depend on cassava as a vital link for both food and income.

Cassava Leaf Stew Served with Rice

Ingredients

2 cassava roots peeled and chopped

2 handfuls cassava leaves

2 medium onions chopped

2 medium tomatoes diced

5 cups water or vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Add all ingredients into a large pot and simmer 30 minutes. Serve with rice.

African Basket Weaving — Zulu Ilala Palm Art

Zulu people have mastered Ilala Palm basket weaving for centuries. This ancient, exacting, time-consuming craft creates baskets that are both practical and deeply symbolic. Traditional Zulu weaving styles include Imbenge, Isichumo, Isiquabetho, and Ukhamba.

Zulu Basket Weaving Styles

• Imbenge — Small, saucer-shaped bowl used as a platter or lid.
• Isichumo — Bottle-shaped basket with tight weave for carrying liquids.
• Isiquabetho — Large bowl-shaped basket for gathering and carrying foods or materials.
• Ukhamba — Decorative, colorful bulb-shaped container, made watertight by the tautness of the weave.

Ukhamba African Zulu basket

Isiquabetho African Zulu basket

More Than Utility — A Spiritual and Cultural Art

As with many parts of African culture, basket weaving holds spiritual, aesthetic, and practical meaning. Baskets are among the oldest handmade vessels and have been vital for food preparation, storage, fishing, and ceremonial use across the continent.

For Zulu weavers, each basket symbolizes a deep connection to the land and the cycles of life. Learn more through popular Zulu proverbs explained and the stories woven into every design.

Where the Ilala Palm Grows

The Ilala Palm thrives along the northeastern coast of KwaZulu-Natal in Southern Africa. Once harvested and dried, its leaves become the strong, flexible material that makes Zulu baskets watertight and long-lasting.

Read more about Botswana basket weaving traditions and how African baskets continue to blend function and artistry.

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What is back to Africa

Good will grow from good. Thinking good thoughts creates good outcomes; this is a basic law of attraction: positive thoughts create positive results.

"If good is sown, then good will grow; if bad is sown, then bad will grow, good or bad in the end will show."

More good will grow from good proverbs.

Without sleep, there is no dream; without discourse, there is no proverb.

Proverbs are children of experience.

Proverbs are the wisdom of the home.

A wise man who knows proverbs reconciles difficulties.

He who does not listen to the proverb remains begging for help.

Proverbs are like butterflies, some are caught, some fly away.

Growing organic vegetables can provide numerous benefits, including improved health, environmental sustainability, and delicious, nutrient-dense food.

Growing your own fresh organic vegetables is gratifying and easy because you do not need a green thumb to start, grow and maintain your soil and garden plants. If you are ready to grow your first vegetable garden start with this article to show you the steps to take when starting a vegetable garden and how to cook and naturally dry your fresh veggies.

Home vegetable gardens come in all shapes and sizes in Africa where there is a great deal of diversity in vegetables on the African continent. For many internally displaced Africans with access to land and water in internally displaced camps, planting a garden means growing vegetables and supplementing what is often an insufficient wage.  

Organic farming practices promote biodiversity, protect soil health, and reduce pollution. By growing organic vegetables, you can help to reduce your impact on the environment and support sustainable agriculture. Home gardening contributes to household food security by providing direct access to food that can be harvested, prepared and fed to family members, often on a daily basis.

Simple Vegetable Stew African Food Recipe 

Ingredients

1 pound fresh okra, sliced lengthwise

2 medium potatoes, diced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

2 medium onions, chopped 1/2 head small cabbage, chopped

2 teaspoons ginger paste

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon hot ground chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons red palm oil

2 cups vegetable broth or water

Directions

Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and fry onions with spices until onions are slightly soft. Add potatoes and broth, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, cabbage and okra, cook on medium heat for 10 minutes longer. Serve over rice.

Home Vegetable Garden Ideas

Home gardens, in particular, constitute a valuable part of the on-farm conservation of traditional varieties. Since women are often responsible for home gardens and the preparation of family meals, they play a large role in crop selection for the home garden. Considerable income may be derived from the production and sale of seed from indigenous and exotic varieties of garden crops.

Many home garden foods are perishable. This includes leafy vegetables, such as okra, tomatoes, sweet peppers, African eggplants, onions, roots and tubers, and fruits such as mangoes, bananas and papayas. Harvest surpluses of these foods are often wasted because people are not familiar with adequate processing, preservation and storage techniques.

After harvesting, loss of vitamin C can be high, especially for green vegetables, which lose substantial amounts of vitamin C after only a few days in storage. Other home garden foods like legumes and maize have relatively long shelf lives but must be processed and stored properly if they are to remain good for eating.

On the other hand, some roots and tubers, such as cassava, do not pose serious preservation or storage problems. If they are left in the ground, the household can harvest them whenever they are needed. A number of practical strategies can be initiated at the household level to increase year-round access to vitamin and mineral rich vegetables and fruits.

Crop	Grow new plants from	Harvest In	Parts Used
Okra	Seeds	50	Fruit, leaves
Onion	Bulbs, sets, seeds	90	Bulbs, leaves
Tomato	Seeds	90	Fruit
Eggplant	Seeds	90	Fruit, leaves
Hot pepper	Seeds	90	Fruit
Kale	Seeds and cuttings	60	Leaves
Sweet potato	Cuttings	90	Leaves, tubers
Potato	Tubers	100	Tubers

How to Cook Freshly Grown Vegetables

Blanching Vegetables

Blanching improves the shelf life, flavor and appearance of some dried vegetables. Some vegetables should be blanched before drying. Slippery vegetables like okra and chili peppers, onions and garlic are never blanched or boiled. Tree leaves like baobab may be blanched or parboiled to soften them before they are dried.

Before blanching, freshly harvested leafy vegetables should be washed and sorted to remove the unwanted parts, such as stems and older leaves. There are different methods for blanching leafy vegetables. The food can be briefly boiled, but steaming is preferable, as it minimizes nutrient loss.

Steam Blanching Vegetables

Place a wire basket over boiling water and steam the vegetables for 1 to 3 minutes, only long enough to heat and soften them slightly. Alternatively, the vegetables can be wrapped in a piece of cloth and placed over a pot of boiling water.

Steaming can be done also by using a covered pot containing water about 3 cm deep. Place clean rocks in the pot covered by a piece of matting or some sticks. Place the vegetables that are to be steamed on the covered rocks.

Home gardening rice in Liberia

How to Naturally Dry Vegetables in the Sun and Shade

Drying Vegetables

Vegetables and fruits can be processed and preserved by drying. Drying preserves food because the microorganisms that spoil food need water to grow. Drying also concentrates food's nutrients and preserves them for times when fresh food is not available. Improved technologies, such as solar dryers, retain higher quantities of vitamins in food than can be retained using the traditional method of sun drying.

Surpluses of different home garden vegetables and fruits like green leafy vegetables, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, okra, onions, sweet potatoes, cassava, papayas, mangoes, and bananas can be dried easily when these vegetables and fruits are in season. Sweet fruits such as mangoes, bananas and papayas do not need to be dried as thoroughly as vegetables because their high sugar content acts as a preservative.

Dried leaves can be added directly to soups and stews as required. Dried cowpea leaves can be fried, as well as boiled. These are especially tasty and nutritious when they are fried in oil like red palm oil, crumbled and then sprinkled over maize porridge, sadza or nshima as a relish.  Dried fruits and vegetables, such as cassava, sweet potato or banana chips, or slices of mango, pineapple, and papaya make excellent snack foods for children. They are delicious, sweet and contain a lot of energy.

Sun Drying Vegetables

Although the most widely used method of drying foods in Africa is sun drying, sunlight destroys vitamin A. High temperatures destroy vitamins A and C, as well as some other vitamins. As a consequence, it is better to dry food in the shade.

Shade Drying Vegetables

Shade drying requires full air circulation. It should not be undertaken inside conventional buildings but in an open-sided shed purposely built for shade drying. Most foods to be dried are sliced like peppers, okra, onions, tomatoes, eggplants, yams, sweet potatoes, and carrots, as sliced food generally dries faster. The slices should be only about 1 cm thick so that they dry thoroughly and quickly.

The food should be placed on mats or trays and well off the ground in order to avoid contamination from dust or soil. Turn over the slices daily to ensure that the food dries quickly. To store well, the slices should be quite dry. Because of their higher sugar content, this acts as a preservative, dry fruits only until they are leathery.

Leafy vegetables, such as amaranth, are dried whole because they are thin. Small okra may also be dried whole. Chili peppers, onions, and garlic are often left whole and hung in strands for drying and later storage. Shade drying takes a little longer than sun drying, but it prevents the loss of a food's natural color and better preserves its vitamins and minerals.

More economical easy lunch and dinner recipes to make right now so you never have to eat or prepare a boring meal again.

1. Curried Tanzanian Coconut Okra Recipe
2. Frikkadelle an Afrikaner dish of meatballs
3. Senegalese Chicken Vermicelli
4. Chadian Steamed Honey Cassava Buns
5. Cameroon Smoked Bonga Fish Stew

The Akh is the character of the spirit of a deceased person or the personality of the soul. Following the death of the Khat or physical body, the Ba and Ka were reunited to reanimate the Akh.

Akh Personality of the Soul in Egyptian Mythology

The Ancient Egyptians believed the Akh was part of a person’s vital force, and when a person died, it was believed that their Akh acquired mystic power.

The Egyptians thought the Akh was a radiant light, something like a star. When a person died, their Akh made a seat in heaven, among the stars of heaven.

The nature of the Akh changed over time; in Egyptian Mythology, the Akh is represented by the ibis bird. The Ancient Egyptians believed the soul had three principal parts, the ka, the ba, and the Akh. Ancient Egyptians believed that death occurs when a person's ka leaves the body.

Ceremonies conducted by priests after death, including opening the mouth of the deceased to release a Ba's attachment to the body. Opening the mouth allowed the Ba to be united with the Ka in the afterlife, creating the Akh.

The Ka, is the vital essence of a person that was transmitted from one generation to the next, the Ba, granted freedom of movement and the ability to take on different forms, principally in the next world, and the Akh, is the transfigured spirit of a person in the next world.

Together we build awareness that boost harmony, education, and success, below are more links to articles you will find thought provoking.

1. Deadliest routes for refugees
2. Cooking with shea butter oil
3. Worst serial killers recorded in history are women
4. Indigenous healers and plants used
5. Night running illness or magic
6. What is back to Africa

Ubuntu African Philosophy: Building Strong Communities Beyond Politics

Ubuntu is a centuries-old African philosophy meaning community and shared humanity. Ubuntu has no party lines—it is about collective well-being beyond politics.

When Ubuntu-based community organizations come together, they can address deep challenges such as mass incarceration and its devastating effect on children left without role models, love, and stability. Children growing up without support often fall into cycles of crime and incarceration. Ubuntu’s principle — “I am because we are” — must move from theory to action to protect future generations.

Did you know? Ubuntu comes from the Nguni Bantu languages and is often translated as “I am because we are.” It shaped leaders like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

What Ubuntu Really Means

Nelson Mandela described Ubuntu with a story: a traveler passing through a village would be fed and cared for without asking. Archbishop Desmond Tutu called Ubuntu “the essence of being human” — a reminder that we cannot exist in isolation. When we thrive, our success spreads to the community; when others are diminished, so are we.

Ubuntu and Community Action

Neighborhoods, especially in Black urban areas, have been disrupted but not destroyed. Ubuntu can rebuild them by forming nonprofit community organizations that empower people beyond political or religious divides.

These groups solve problems not only by voting or lobbying but by direct action: creating safe spaces, mentoring youth, supporting families, and building local economies. Unlike partisan structures, Ubuntu organizations unite people regardless of class, politics, or religion.

Ubuntu vs. Mass Incarceration

Mass incarceration rates for Black men in the United States are among the highest in the world. More than 1.2 million African American children have a parent in prison, leading to emotional trauma and cycles of poverty and crime.

Ubuntu teaches that safety and healing come through collective responsibility: mentoring youth, supporting families, and creating opportunity so that incarceration is not the default path.

Building Ubuntu-Based Organizations

• Create safe spaces for mentorship and after-school programs.
• Support local businesses and cooperative economic initiatives.
• Encourage interfaith and nonpolitical community gatherings.
• Address substance abuse and mental health stigma through compassion.

Community organizations grounded in Ubuntu can become self-governing, resilient, and hopeful. They promote personal responsibility while protecting collective well-being.

Learn More About African Culture & Community

• Ancestors as Guardian Angels in African Belief
• 10 Timeless South African Tribes
• Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow in African Communities