How to make a green banana sauce for seafood served cold or room temperature recipe from the African Gourmet.

Green bananas

Although the green banana is simply an unripened yellow banana, it has different uses. Unripe green bananas are used a lot in African and Caribbean cooking. Green bananas are grown and used all over the African continent; seafood green banana sauce is a popular recipe.


Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min

Seafood Green Banana Chutney

Ingredients

2 large green bananas
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup sugar
½ cup grated coconut
6 dates, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 large tomato, chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup water


Directions

Chop green bananas, add all ingredients together, stir well and simmer 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly pour chutney into canning jars, cool on the counter top. Perfect on seafood.

Did you know.
Green bananas are unripened bananas. Unripe green bananas are used a lot in African and Caribbean cooking. Seafood green banana sauce is a popular recipe in Africa.

 

The origin of planting and growing grapes in North and South Africa is unknown. Grape vines were planted in Mediterranean climates of South Africa around 1650's and North African countries of Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria produced 60% of the worlds wine until the late 1950's.

In North Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria played an important role in the history of wine. Algeria's vinicultural history dates back to its settlement by the Phoenicians and continued under Algeria's rule by the Roman Empire. Winemaking continued in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria until the Muslim conquests of North Africa in the 7th and 8th centuries.

The main wine-producing areas in Morocco are located in the Atlas Mountains region, Benslimane and Meknès.  The main wine-producing areas in Algeria is located in the provinces of Aïn Témouchent, Mascara, Mostaganem, Sidi Bel Abbès, and Tlemcen. The main wine-producing areas in Tunisia are located in Arianah, Nabul and Sousse regions. Cabo Verde Chã das Caldeiras in the crater of the volcano Pico do Fogo region also produces excellent export-quality wines.

Many Muslim government officials thought it was unacceptable for an Islamic country to be so economically dependent on alcohol production and encouraged vineyard owners to convert their land into other agricultural crops such as cereal or table grapes.

More than 80% of table grape production in South Africa occurs in the Western Cape region.Popular grape varieties in South Africa are Barlinka, Bonheur, Dauphine, Waltham Cross, Alphonse Lavallée, Red Globe, La Rochelle, Sunred Seedless, Thompson Seedless, and Sultanas. Some grapes contain as high as 30% of sugar or as low as 10%.

Chenin Blanc is the most widely planted wine grape variety in the Cape, with increasing quality of both dry and sweet styles. Other major white varieties include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Viognier.

Grapes are a fruit, true berries with small, round to oblong and consisting of four seeds. Berries are often covered with a greyish, bluish, or whitish waxy coating or bloom that is easily rubbed off, having a fine layer of wax on the surface. The skin of the grape is thin and is the source of the anthocyanin compounds that give rise to red, blue, purple and black to dark purple colored grapes.

Green and yellow skinned grape cultivars are of ten termed white grapes. Most grapes are woody, climbing vines. Grapes can be eaten fresh or dried or enjoyed in the form of juice and wine.

Did you know? Muscadine grapes differ from other grape cultivars because it has thick skin, which is sometimes bitter and tough. The fruit of the muscadine ripens one by one and detaches from the plant at maturity. The berries detach from the vine with a dry stem scar unlike bunch grapes, which remain attached to the cluster at maturity.

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

1. African Country Names Your Saying Wrong
2. What do Waist Beads Symbolize in Africa?
3. About African Healers and Witchdoctors
4. Hurricanes are Angry African Ancestors
5. Highest Temperature and Lowest Temperature in Africa
6. About African Night Running

Easy Sweet Potato Curry Stew is just one of hundreds of ways to enjoy the sweet potato.

The sweet potato is queen and is not traditionally eaten in Africa, yam is king of crops in West Africa. However, in recent years sweet potatoes and sweet potato recipes are being grown and marketed for their tolerance to drought and easy cooking recipes.

Vegetarian Sweet Potato Curry Soup

Vegetarian Sweet Potato Curry Soup.

Ingredients
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups of coconut milk
1 cup of water
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 medium diced ripe tomato
2 tablespoons palm oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 hot pepper finely chopped
2 tablespoons sweet curry powder
Salt and ground pepper, to taste

Directions
In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add curry, onion, garlic, ginger, peppers, salt and sauté until the onion is translucent about 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over brown or white rice.

Types of vegetarian diets.

Vegetarian diets vary in what foods they include and exclude

When people think about a vegetarian diet, they typically think about a diet that does not include meat, poultry or fish. However, vegetarian diets vary in what foods they include and exclude:

Lacto-vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish, poultry and eggs, as well as foods that contain them. Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yogurt and butter, are included.

Ovo-vegetarian diets exclude meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products, but allow eggs.

Lacto-ovo vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish and poultry, but allow dairy products and eggs.

Pescatarian diets exclude meat and poultry, dairy, and eggs, but allow fish.

Pollotarian diets exclude meat, dairy and fish, but allow poultry.

Vegan diets exclude meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products and foods that contain these products.

African farmer’s production of cotton in Burkina Faso Africa lost $89.5 million in revenue in five cotton growing seasons using Monsanto’s genetically modified cotton seeds. The cotton shirt you are wearing may be made from GMO African cotton fibers.

Cotton production and therefore picking in Africa has fallen in recent years. The U.S.A seed and pesticide company Monsanto proposed an answer to boosting African cotton trade economy, a genetically modified strain of cotton called Bollgard II.

The gluttonous incest, the bollworm destroys 35 percent of African cotton crop. The bug-resistant genes of Bollgard II produced more volume but the quality of cotton reduced dramatically and African farmers abandoned the genetically modified cotton and renewed the traditional seeds and growing methods of their African ancestors.

Balancing a basket of freshly harvested cotton on her head.

"Genetically modified cotton, it's not good today. It's not good tomorrow," said Burkina Faso cotton farmer Paul Badoun, picking apart a lumpy handful of raw cotton in a cotton field in Kongolekan village near Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso in Africa’s cotton belt.

Bollgard II, the genetically modified cotton seeds were genetically engineered with genes from the Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria to make them resistant to the bollworm incest but the genetically modified cotton seed also produced cotton with shorter fibers, which produced an undesirable lower quality cotton fabric.

In Africa, large cotton plantations or farms are dedicated to growing cotton. Picking cotton in Africa without machinery is very hot, hard, physical work where women and often time’s children work the same hours as men. At harvest time, pickers are expected to pick a certain amount of cotton each day or they do not earn enough money to support their families.

Most work as field hands-on cotton plantations. Today raw cotton is processed in the state's grain mills which the picker must pay for the use of the mill. Cotton pickers can work in the fields from sunrise to sunset and at harvest time; they might work an 18-hour day. At harvest time, the cotton bolls are collected into large sacks and weighed. A good picker can harvest 100-300 pounds of cotton in a day.

This size of the harvest would consist of one-third fibers and two-thirds seeds. Harvesting is mechanized today on some larger farms. Benin, which was a leading global producer of cotton between 2004 and 2006, experienced a sharp fall in production. American genetically modified cotton was grown on many African cotton plantation farms from 2007 - 2015.

The Benin government has also taken over the export of cotton and cottonseed. After a difficult period, production is now once again getting underway, but with output likely to be below Benin’s glory days as King of Cotton.

Cotton is still King in the African country of Benin, cotton accounts for nearly 40 percent of the country's revenue. Cotton provides an income to roughly three million people, however; cotton productivity and profitability have declined in recent years due, in part, to poor governmental management practices and piracy against commercial shipping in its territory off the Port of Cotonou.

You will love the taste of Grandpa's turtle soup and making his turtle soup recipe is healthy and easy.

Turtle soup is soup made from the meat of turtles with spices and fresh vegetables. Our classic turtle soup recipe stewed Tanzania style, like they serve off the river and lakes throughout Africa. 

African ancestor food knowledge: Now that intercommunication between distant nations has become easier and frequent, the rural and city-dweller of Africa commands greater attention to culinary art. One art of cooking Africa offers is how to cook turtle soup. 

How the catch and clean snapping turtles for eating.

Catching and cleaning snapping turtles is easy. In Africa they live in a wide variety of marine habitats: large creeks, rivers, swamps, marshes, and lagoons. Fishing, grabbing them by the tail or the back of their shell is the usual method for catching snapping turtles. Snapping turtle used for eating must come from clean waterways.

To begin the process of cleaning a snapping turtle, cut the turtle's head off and hang the turtle upside down tied to a post to let the blood drain out. Then with plyers, muscles and a sharp hunting knife pull the skin off the turtle, parboiling with help loosen the skin for easier peeling.

The shell underneath the turtle is called the plastron, between this shell and the hardtop shell is soft joint easy to cut away. Remove the plastron with a sharp cutting hunting knife and remove the entrails.

Then cut away the meat, fat is yellow, detach from the meat but you can save this fat to favor other dishes. Cut up turtle meat just as you would turkey or chicken. Soak the turtle meat in clean water for 12-24 hours changing the water every 4 hours.

Boneless snapping turtle meat can be fried or stewed, however low heat and slow cooking methods have the best cooking results. The four legs and the tail of the snapping turtle are dark meat, the neck and back straps are white meat.   

Snapping turtles can average 10 to 12 inches in upper shell length and weigh between 15 to 25 pounds. Two pounds of boneless turtle meat cost between $38 and $50. Turtle meat is healthy with one cup of turtle meat has around 220 calories, 33 grams of protein and 2 grams of saturated fat.

Turtle Soup Recipe From Our Kitchen

Ingredients
2 cups boneless snapping turtle meat
4 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons salted butter
4 stalks chopped celery
1 medium chopped white onion
1 medium chopped red onion
3 diced carrots
2 medium red tomatoes
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon freshly minced parsley leaves
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
In a large pot with a heavy lid over medium-high heat add butter, melt then add seasonings. Add flour and turtle meat stirring well until turtle meat is slightly brown. Add stock and remaining ingredients. Continue to cook over medium-high heat until the mixture boils, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. Dish into serving bowls and enjoy The African Gourmet easy recipe of turtle soup.

More easy breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes from African Food Love to make right now so you never have to eat or prepare a boring meal again.

Sensory Preservation Manual Entry

CULTURAL CONTEXT

• Common Name: Traditional Turtle Soup
• Cultural GPS: Coastal West Africa • Riverine Communities
• Threat Level: Critical

EMOTIONAL CORE

• Soul-Taste: Reverence, Survival, Ecosystem Balance
• Memory-Load: The tension between sustenance and conservation

SENSORY MATRIX

Olfactory (Smell)
Raw: Muddy, aquatic, clean river scent. Cooking: Deep, rich broth unlike any meat. Finished: Earthy, herbal, complex aroma that speaks of river ecosystems.

Tactile (Touch)
Preparation: Smooth, cool shell; firm, gelatinous meat. Texture: Unique combination of tender meat and cartilaginous chew. Mouthfeel: Rich, velvety, substantial.

Auditory (Sound)
Preparation: Specific tapping sounds to clean shell. Cooking: Low, slow bubble of long-simmering broth. Cultural: The community discussions about sustainability.

Taste & Mouthfeel
Primary: Deep, rich, cross between fish and poultry. Unique: Gelatinous texture from cartilage and connective tissue. Cultural: The taste of environmental wisdom.

PRESERVATION NOTE - CRITICAL THREAT

This recipe documents a profound relationship between humans and their ecosystem that is rapidly disappearing. The knowledge represents centuries of understanding turtle behavior, harvesting ethics, and seasonal timing. While conservation concerns have rightly limited this practice, the cultural knowledge behind it—the deep understanding of river ecosystems, the respectful harvesting methods, the unique culinary techniques—is vanishing forever. This preservation entry captures not an endorsement of current practice, but the cultural memory of a sophisticated environmental relationship that modern conservation can learn from.

This recipe is part of an ongoing project to preserve the sensory heritage of African cuisine against cultural erosion and forgetting. Each dish is a story. Each ingredient has a memory.

More from the Sensory Preservation Manual

• The Yam's Covenant: Trust Between Human and Earth
• Mauritian Chutney: The Taste of Creative Survival
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Zulu African proverbs explains circumstance in Zulu everyday living, or of an event in traditional Zulu history that makes the proverb expression meaning clear. 15 Popular Zulu African proverbs and  expressions with detailed meanings

Yimbabala yolwantunge

He is a buck of an endless forest.

A saying applied to a shiftless person, one who never continues long in any occupation.

Isikuni sinyuka nomkwezeli

A brand burns him who stirs it up.

This proverb is an exact equivalent to the English one, Let sleeping dogs lie.

Njengo mdudo ka Mapassa

Like the marriage feast of Mapassa

This saying is used to denote anything unusually grand. The marriage festivities of one of the ancestors, Mapassa, said to have been carried on for a whole year.

Ishwa lomhluzi wamanqina

Misfortune of soup made of shanks and feet.

Applied to any person who never does well, but is always getting into scrapes.

Akuko mpukane inqakulela enye

One fly does not provide for another.

A saying of the industrious to the idle, meaning that each should work for himself as the flies do.

Kude e-Bakuba, akuyiwanga mntu

Bakuba is far away, no person ever reached it.

Bakuba is an ideal country. This proverb is used as a warning against undue ambition, or as advice to be content with that which is within reach. It is equivalent to the English saying, It is no use building castles in the sky.

Kuxeliwe e-Xukwane apo kumaqasho ma-kulu

They have slaughtered at Kukwane where much meat is obtainable.

According to tradition, there was once a very rich chief who lived at Kukwane and who was in the habit of entertaining strangers in a more liberal manner than any who went before or who came after him. This proverb is used to such as ask too much from others, as if to say, It was only at Kukwane that such expectations were realized.

Qabu Unoqolomba efile

I rejoice that Kolomba's mother is dead.

The mother of Kolomba was, according to tradition, a very disagreeable person. This saying is used when anything that one dreads or dislikes has passed away.

Izinto azimntaka Ngqika zonke

It is not everyone who is a son of Gaika.

Gaika was at the beginning of this century the most powerful chief west of the Kei. This proverb signifies that all are not equally fortunate.

Uyakulila ngasonye uxele inkawu

You will shed tears with one eye like a monkey.

A warning used to deter any one from being led into a snare of any kind. It is said that when a monkey is caught in a trap he cries, but that tears come out of one eye only.

Lukozo lomya

It is the seed of the umya.

This saying is applied to anything or person considered very beautiful. The seed referred to is like a small jet black bead.

Udhle incholo

He has drunk the juice of the flower of the wild aloe.

Said of a dull, sleepy person. Wild aloe juice when drunk has a stupefying effect, and benumbs the limbs so as to make them powerless for a time.

Indonga ziwelene

The walls have come into collision.

Said of any dispute between persons of consequence.

Uvutelwe pakati nje nge vatala.

He is ripe inside, like a watermelon.

Said of anyone who has come to a resolution without yet expressing it. From its appearance it cannot be said with certainty whether a watermelon is ripe.

Uyakuva into embi eyaviwa ngu Hili wase Mambalwini.

You will find out what Hili of the Amambalu experienced.

Hili, or Tikoloshe, is a mischievous being who usually lives in the water, but who goes about as a human dwarf playing tricks on people. 

He milks the cows when no one is watching them. He causes women to fall in love with him, for he is of a very amorous disposition towards the female sex. It is said that a long time ago there was a man of the Amambalu who had good reason to suspect that his wife had fallen in love with Hili. 

He accordingly pretended to go upon a journey, but returned in the middle of the night and fastened his dogs at the door of his hut. He then went inside and kindled a fire, when, as he anticipated, he found Hili there. 

The man called his neighbors, who came with sticks and beat Hili till he was unable to move. They then tied him up in a bundle, fastened him to the back of the woman, and sent her away to wander wherever she liked. 

This saying is applied as a warning to people to avoid doing wrong, lest the punishment of Hili overtake them.

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

1. Historical African Country Name
2. Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa
3. How many countries does Africa have?
4. Roots of Africanized Christianity Spiritual Songs
5. Chocolate Processing Facts History and Recipes
6. Awesome Kenyan Woman
7. Land is Not For Women in Sierra Leone
   
8. African Kente Cloth Facts
9. Accra the Ghanaian Capital Ultimate Mall Experience

Looking for seafood stew recipes from Africa, make Fanti Fanti African seafood stew. The African Gourmet seafood stew is a unique spicy African seafood recipe where octopus is simmered until tender adding fantastic flavor to the tomato and seawater rich stew.

Our African Gourmet family has made Fanti Fanti African seafood stew made with seawater for over 10 years.

Fanti Fanti African Seafood Stew Recipe

Ingredients

½ pound cleaned diced octopus

½ pound shelled and deveined shrimp

3 fish fillets of any kind

4 large ripe tomatoes diced

1 hot pepper, chopped

1/2 cup seawater or 1 teaspoon salt dissolved into 1 cup water

3 cups tap water

Directions

In a large stew pot over medium heat add octopus, tomatoes, pepper, sea and tap water simmer 45 minutes until octopus is tender. Add remaining seafood and simmer 10 minutes longer. Serve with Ghana kenkey or over rice and enjoy your chop (food).

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

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2. Yedoro Stir Fried Ethiopian Chicken Dinner
3. Senegalese Chicken Vermicelli
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Akan Calendar and Chieftaincy: Sacred Days and Royal Traditions

Akan symbolism and sacred timekeeping traditions.

The Akan of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire follow the adaduanan—a 42-day calendar cycle marked by four sacred dabɔne days: Fɔdwo, Awukudae, Fofie, and Akwasidae. These days shape rituals, farming schedules, and ancestral veneration, blending timekeeping with spirituality and governance.

The Adaduanan Calendar Explained

The Akan calendar grew out of an older six-day week. Its days are:

• Fo – Council day
• Nwuna – Sleep or death day
• Nkyi – Taboo day
• Kuru – Political day
• Kwa – Rest day
• Mono – Fresh start day

Within each 42-day cycle (adaduanan: da = day, aduanan = forty), the four dabɔne sacred days appear in this rhythm:

• Fɔdwo — Day 1
• Awukudae — Day 10
• Fofie — Day 19
• Akwasidae — Day 28

Did You Know? On dabɔne days, farming stops, but hunting and gathering firewood is allowed. Funerals are forbidden, and chiefs receive no death news while libations of alcohol and food honor ancestral stools.

Fɔdwo and Fofie days hold special purification and medico-religious symbolism. Awukudae and Akwasidae are part of the adae ancestor veneration rites.

Akan People: Past and Present

Most Akan peoples live in Ghana, with others in eastern Côte d’Ivoire and parts of Togo. Major subgroups include the Asante, Fante, Akwapim, Akyem, Akwamu, Ahanta, Bono, Nzema, Kwahu, and Sefwi. Modern Ghana has long been home to Akan states tied to gold trade routes and cultural innovation.

Akan African Art Memorial Head

Akan Chieftaincy and Titles

The Akan chieftaincy system—central to governance—dates back before 1300. Chiefs arbitrate political and economic matters and receive stool names when installed. The Omanhene is the paramount ruler (often translated as “king”), while other key titles include:

• Krontihene — caretaker of land, second-in-command
• Obaatan — queenly counselor who nominates the next Omanhene
• Tufohene — warlord, head of gunners
• Adontehene — leader of the army’s front flank
• Benkumhene & Nifahene — left & right military wings
• Nkosuohene — development chief (modern honorary title)
• Nsumankwahene — spiritual head/guardian of the oracle

Chieftaincy continues alongside Ghana’s modern state. The title Nana (chief/ruler) remains a cultural anchor.

Akan people in 1930, Ghana

Explore More Akan Culture:

• African Kente Cloth Facts
• Religious Shifts in Africa
• Trade Connections Across Africa

Understanding the Akan calendar and chieftaincy deepens appreciation for Ghana’s heritage and shows how timekeeping, ritual, and leadership sustain cultural identity.

Sawdust Toilets Offer a Sustainable Sanitation Option for Africa’s Densely Populated Slums

Sawdust toilets, also known as composting toilets, are eco-friendly and sustainable sanitation systems. They offer an alternative to traditional flush toilets and septic systems by using natural processes to convert human waste into compost that can be safely used as fertilizer for plants.

The severe lack of water and toilets is a major concern for slums throughout Africa, especially in the large slums of Khayelitsha in Cape Town, South Africa, and Kibera in Kenya. Densely populated slums are installing sustainable sawdust toilets using a container with a lid, a toilet seat, and a regular supply of sawdust.

Sawdust toilets

In Africa’s largest slums, housing conditions and toilets are unsanitary, and sawdust toilets are an innovative environmental idea.

In the slum of Khayelitsha in Cape Town, South Africa, the lack of adequate sanitation, potable water, and electricity, in addition to substandard housing and overcrowding, aggravates the spread of diseases and avoidable deaths.

About half of Africa’s 470 million city residents live in slums or informal settlements, which will only increase as Africa's urban population doubles to 1 billion people by 2040.

The severe lack of water and toilets is a major concern for slums throughout Africa; poor sanitation is feared to be a looming public health disaster. More than a third of the global population lacks adequate sanitation, a problem that is even more pronounced in informal urban settlements and slums.

Fortunately, there are a few cost-effective, eco-friendly, sustainable toilet solutions out there that work for all kinds of environments. Waste from waterless toilets using sawdust in slums of Africa is being processed into fertilizer and used to help produce animal feed.

It is creative thinking to use compost sanitation, which can increase the number of people with access to proper sanitation. Toilets are important in the fight against water contamination and disease. The compost produced from sawdust toilets can be used as a natural fertilizer, closing the nutrient cycle and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. Yet,  the composting process requires proper monitoring and management to ensure that the resulting compost is safe to use and free from pathogens.

However, conventional flush toilets do not always work in developing countries because of water supply limitations and high installation costs. One challenge of sawdust-based composting toilets is that wood materials are high in carbon, which can temporarily tie up nitrogen in soil. This is easily managed by adding nitrogen-rich plant matter to balance the compost and maintain soil fertility.

The sawdust toilet composting system is simple as it does not require a special toilet seat or tubing to divert urine from the compost mixture. All you need is a collection container, privacy, and sawdust, leaves, or dried grass to keep the toilets in working condition.

Sawdust toilets contribute to environmental sustainability by reducing water usage and promoting responsible waste management. They also help minimize pollution of water bodies caused by untreated sewage.

How sawdust toilets work in Khayelitsha 

Human waste, urine, and feces are collected in a sawdust toilet in a container or chamber beneath the toilet seat. Some designs feature separate compartments for urine and feces.

After using the toilet, a scoop of sawdust or other organic material like coconut coir, peat moss, or wood chips is added to cover the waste. This helps control odor and aids in the composting process.

Over time, the mixture of human waste and sawdust begins to decompose. The composting process is facilitated by beneficial microorganisms that break down the organic matter. The aerobic decomposition reduces pathogens and transforms the waste into a nutrient-rich compost.

The composting chamber must be periodically emptied, depending on its size and usage. The composted material is usually safe for use as fertilizer for non-edible plants. However, it is essential to let the composting process complete before using it to ensure that any remaining pathogens are fully eliminated.

Khayelitsha is the second-largest black township in South Africa after Soweto, with a population of 391,749. Just like Kibera in Kenya, only about 20 percent have electricity, and 10 percent have access to clean water. There is currently no system of sewer pipes to collect sewage and take it for disposal in the slums of Kibera, but sawdust toilets are changing the game.

Don't worry it's easy to look like an international African Queen by making an African fabric kimono with our visual and written no-sew directions.

How to Make a No-Sew Ankara Kimono that will have you looking like an International African Queen.

See step-by-step instructions to make the fabulous unisex African fabric kimono with no-sew directions for beginners. In Japan the kimono was orginally called a kosode, a layer of clothing that was worn as undergarments. The kosode which did not have the voluminous sleeves orginally, slowly morphed into the origin of modern kimono we know today. The kimomo is a unisex piece of clothing worn by both men and women.

Kimonos come in infinite variations and this simple no-sew design you will need 1 ½-yards Ankara fabric measuring 45 inches wide. Before beginning to cut, give yourself plenty of room to work with good lighting, check to see if there is a right and wrong side of the fabric or if there is a one-way design.

African Fabric Kimono Supplies Needed.

1 ½ yard Ankara fabric
Permanent hem tape
Scissors
Fabric marking pen or chalk
Measuring tape
Iron with steam

Directions
Measure out your fabric using the dimensions below and cut, measure hem tape and iron close the side seams.

Hem the front opening, sleeves and bottom edges by turning over the edges first with a ½ inch seam, ironing and folding over again ½ inch and ironing in place using permanent hem tape.

You’re done boo!

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

1. African Country Names Your Saying Wrong
2. What do Waist Beads Symbolize in Africa?
3. About African Healers and Witchdoctors
4. Hurricanes are Angry African Ancestors
5. Highest Temperature and Lowest Temperature in Africa
6. About African Night Running

Rabbit interpreted angry African winds message to humankind wrong and her response did not blow in the direction of peace; this is the reason why the rabbits nose is split to this day.

Read and understand the message of the Angry African Wind African Folktale Story and why rabbit got it wrong.

Angry Wind African Folktale Story

The Wind summoned a Butterfly to give a message to humankind, saying, "Fly to Mankind, and tell them, "Love for mankind is the most precious reward that wisdom can offer"

The Butterfly started with the message, but while on her way was kidnapped by a Rabbit, who asked, "On what errand are you flying so quickly?"

The frightened Butterfly answered, "I am sent by the Wind to Mankind, to tell them that "Love for mankind is the most precious reward that wisdom can offer".

The Rabbit said, "As you are a slow messenger, let me go to take the message to the humans”. With these words, he ran off, and when he reached the leader of Mankind, he said, "I am sent by the Wind to tell you, ‘Love for Wind by mankind is the most precious reward that wisdom can offer".

Then the Rabbit returned to Wind thinking he will be in her good graces for delivering the message to humankind and repeated to her what he told to people not knowing he got the message wrong.

Wind rebuked Rabbit angrily, saying, "You dare come in my presence and tell the people a thing which I have not said! You dare, on your own accord replace the messenger I sent to the people! “

With these words, Wind whipped up a piece of wood, and struck the Rabbit on the nose. Since that day, the Rabbit's nose is slit because he angered the Wind.

More short folklore stories from Africa to make you fall in love with myths and legends again from the motherland.

1. Why the bunny rabbit has wiggly slits for a nose
2. Love Takes No Less Than Everything Marriage Folklore
3. Hunters Attack Cowards Tell the Story
4. One Do Wrong All Get Punished
5. Mighty Little Hedgehog

Justice in Africa Adinkra symbols include Fawohodie, Sepow, Kontire ne Akwamu, Wo Nsa Da Mu A, Epa, Funtunfunefu-Denkyemfunefu, Krado – Mmra and Ohene Adwa. 

Discover more textile symbolism and quilt traditions in the African Quilting & Textile Crafts Hub .

Power, justice and punishment African Adinkra symbols are a one of a kind visual expression of West African heritage.

Eight Justice in Africa Adinkra symbols and meanings

Fawohodie

Symbolizes Liberty

Symbol of liberty, independence, freedom, emancipation

Sepow

Symbolizes Justice

Knife used in executions. This is plunged through the throat of the victim’s cheeks to prevent him from invoking a curse on the King.

Kontire ne Akwamu

Symbolizes elder’s reliance and Democracy meaning one head does not make up council.

Wo Nsa Da Mu A

Symbol of taking part in government and democracy, if you have your hands in the dish.

Wo Nsa Da Mu A Symbol of taking part in government and democracy

Epa

Symbolizes handcuffs, a symbol of law and justice, slavery and captivity

FuntunfunefubDenkyemfunefu or The Siamese Crocodiles

Symbolizes democracy and unity. The Siamese crocodiles share one stomach, yet they fight over food. This popular symbol is a reminder that infighting and tribalism are harmful to all who engage in it.

Krado Mmra 

Symbolizes seal of law and order, an authority of the court.

Ohene Adwa

Symbolizes the King’s stool and his authority.

Recap.

Eight Justice African Adinkra symbol list and brief descriptions.

1. Ohene Adwa Symbolizes the King’s stool and his authority.
2. Krado Mmra Symbolizes seal of law and order, authority of the court.
3. Funtunfunefu-Denkyemfunefu or The Siamese Crocodiles Symbolizes democracy and unity.
4. Epa Symbolizes handcuffs, the symbol of law and justice, slavery and captivity.
5. Wo Nsa Da Mu A Symbol of taking part in government and democracy.
6. Kontire ne Akwamu Symbolizes elder’s reliance and Democracy.
7. Sepow Symbolizes Justice.
8. Fawohodie symbolizes Liberty.

Continue exploring patterns + meaning inside the African Quilting & Textile Crafts Hub .

Boli is a popular street food recipe of Nigeria. Whole sweet plantains are grilled and sold on street corners or in traffic by African street hawkers.

African street food hawkers know how to grill sweet plantains perfectly.

Boli grilled sweet plantains

Boli Two Ingredients Grilled Sweet Plantains Recipe

Ingredients
4 large ripe yellow plantains
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Peel the plantains leave whole and place on top of grill. Grill plantains over very low coals for about 5 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Plantains on sale at market in Ibadan Nigeria

The street food trade or street hawking is a very popular trade in Ibadan Nigeria and sometimes the only way for some Nigerians to make a living. Many African families rely on hawking as the sole source of income. Ibadan is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, Nigeria. With a population of over 3 million, it is the third most populous city in Nigeria Africa.

Plantains on sale at market in Ibadan Nigeria

Plantains are an important food in West and Central Africa. They are an important ingredient of many dishes and the leaves of can be used as a source of fiber for thread, cloth string, thread or can be used as thatch and roofing due to the huge leaves that can reach up to 9 feet in length and 2 feet in width which wrap around the trunk of the plantain tree. Plantation trees can grow for 25 years producing fruit and reach heights up to 30 feet.

One hundred or more different varieties of plantain grow in Africa. Uganda is the largest producer of plantains followed by Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon. Plantain trees botanical name Musa paradisiaca produce starchy cooking fruit however plantains are distinguished from bananas by their fruit which, although from the naked eye look very similar to bananas, are actually longer, firmer and possess a higher starch content and thicker skin.

Plantains are eaten as a vegetable cooked prior to eating, treated in much the same way as potatoes and with a similar neutral flavor and texture when the unripe fruit is cooked by steaming, boiling or frying. Green plantains are simply the younger immature stage of the plantain fruit. 

Plantains are one of the primary staple foods of West and Central Africa sometimes eaten with fish or meat. Plantains are rich in carbohydrates, vitamins A, C and B group as well as minerals such as calcium and iron. Plantains provide up to 35 percent of the total calories in the diets of Africans.