Slow Food and Me
Madieng Seck, journalist, editor of the agricultural magazine Du Mensuel Agri and Slow Food Convivium leader in Senegal tells us his story...
"When I discovered Slow Food seven years ago I was already very involved with press and journalism work on agriculture and rural culture in Senegal. With my farming origins I still felt closely attached to the fields. I loved to walk along the paths across the fields, meeting farmers and writing down what they told me about their work. Some of my colleagues called me “ the journalist of the savanna” after I wrote an article in 1997 about farmers following a noble occupation, now neglected by many of my fellow Africans who are more intent on scurrying after ministers and heads of state, holding forth in lavishly-decorated palaces about the need for African development.
Through my constant work with small producers I discovered a different world: a world of practical farming knowledge which was relevant and farsighted. I have always tried to promote, spread and even simplify it where necessary, so other small farmers can benefit and in turn keep alive extraordinary knowledge of production methods - such as how to get rid of particular predators, how to make the soil more fertile, how to look after animals or cure yourself. In other words, how to live and survive in the middle of a world increasingly constrained by biotechnologies, agrifood companies and a destructive focus on excessive productivity.
My discovery of Slow Food in 2002 made me realize how important it was to build strong links among food communities in my country - producers, processors, cooks and consumers - to defend and promote our agricultural heritage and create strong locally-based economies. But behind the concept of “food community” there were other, even subtler ideas. Slow Food spoke about convivia, Presidia, and the Ark of Taste - new words which could encourage small producers, revive them with concepts such as biodiversity and mother earth. It was 2003, the year preceding the first Terra Madre event.
Terra Madre, an incredible tapestry
It was a truly unforgettable experience for me to attend an event like this. At Terra Madre in 2004, for the first time I saw thousands of farmers from around the world file past in their traditional costumes. They talked sincerely and openly about sustainable agriculture, and healthy, clean and fair food. Some, enthusiastically involved in the Slow Food Association, cheerfully exchanged food products and handshakes, while others, like a South African lady involved in the restaurant business, could scarcely hold back her tears as she described the gigantic work carried out by Carlo Petrini, President of Slow Food, in bringing together all those food communities.
Observing that wonderful scene in 2004 in Turin taught me many things. First, that Slow Food would become big, very big. As big as the large number of small farmers from around the world who had come to share their knowledge, their possessions and local influence. Even someone like Britain’s Prince of Wales joined us to share local, healthy, clean and fair food in a spirit of equality.
At Terra Madre 2006, some European chefs discovered African cereals. At the concurrent Salone del Gusto event, cooks Bineta Djallo and Maye Ndour served tastings of fonio (digitalis exilis), a tiny and tasty African cereal.
While I felt that Terra Madre 2008, again in Turin, was more of a networking opportunity, the meeting in Tuscany at the beginning of November was certainly packed with practical and technical information. It was particularly helpful to have a large number of projects designed for small farmers and convivia in Africa and Latin America.
Among the many projects, I would like to mention our Mangeons Local, which was launched in 2008 thanks to the Senegalese convivium Lek Mégnef Sénégal, and created and managed by myself.
This small project aims to raise awareness and interest among Dakar schoolchildren, so they realize the importance of choosing to eat Senegalese agricultural products. Funded by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity for the modest sum of € 10,000, this project is progressing successfully, well able to manage without billions from the World Bank, as Piero Sardo, President of the Foundation, rightly observed when he visited Dakar two years ago.
Scattered around various parts of Africa, in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mali, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Ethiopia, Chad and elsewhere, there are various other small initiatives developing in rural areas: taste education projects, school gardens, efforts to defend or promote endangered plant species, and Earth Markets. All these small projects, managed by Africans for Africans, are developing slowly but on solid foundations thanks to Slow Food.
Other small projects and local Terra Madre events will take root and grow in Africa.
In Senegal, the convivium Lek Mégnef Sénégal is ready and keen to assure Slow Food a long life."
Madieng Seck
syfia@orange.sn
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