Kpanlogo dancers welcoming delegates to AASW6.
Every country in Africa, in one way or the other has been scarred by a traumatizing event. Wars and famine, just to mention a few, leave individuals with horrifying memories that can last forever. But despite these horrific pasts, one thing we never forget as Africans is our culture.
Visit any country in Africa and you will be welcomed with colors. The sun welcomes you with its brightness, the trees and the grass with their green leaves work their magic, and the natives adorned in their bright African wear welcome you with their hospitality.
Ghana day at the 6th Africa Agriculture Science Week (AASW6) in Accra, Ghana, saw traditional dancers who were adorned in beautiful African clothes, gracefully moving their feet and body to rhythms from the fontomfrom drum welcoming participants to the Conference Centre. Ghana Day is set aside for Ghanaians to exhibit their agricultural innovations, raise awareness about the impact of agricultural research in poverty alleviation, promote food security, and protect the environment.
As part of Ghana Day, I took the opportunity to visit some of the exhibition stands lining the halls. It was there that I realized that in our quest for Africa to feed Africa, we must move from the usual ‘farm-to-mouth’ agriculture and empower the youth to apply their advanced knowledge to value addition. Africa’s agriculture of the future should be something more like ‘farm-to-machine-to-mouth.’
With this philosophy we can keep products from perishing, increase incomes from agriculture, and ensure food security for all Africans.
So as we adorn ourselves with our beautiful bright colors, we can send a message across to the world: Africa might not be feeding itself yet, but we will surely get there in the end!
Blogpost by Joana Gyimah, a social media reporter for AASW6.
Photo: D. Kornu
