Organizers of the International Akara Day Festival say the initiative is using the traditional Nigerian bean cake to promote the country’s food culture and support women and grassroots entrepreneurs.
The maiden edition of the festival, held in Abuja, brought together akara and other local food vendors, food enthusiasts and small-scale entrepreneurs for cooking showcases, marketplace activities and programmes focused on women and youth empowerment.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the festival is designed to promote akara and other indigenous foods on the global stage while creating greater visibility and opportunities for grassroots businesses.
Abiodun Macaulay, a co-convener of the festival, said the initiative seeks to empower grassroots entrepreneurs and showcase Nigerian food varieties to a wider audience.
He said akara sellers and other petty traders were already contributing to the economy but often lacked adequate recognition and support.
“These people you’re seeing over there, they’re doing good selling akara, but people don’t know. That is why we’re trying to showcase and empower them, and to appreciate the value of akara,” he said.
Macaulay said the initiative was not limited to akara but would also encourage petty traders, particularly those involved in the production and sale of local delicacies.
He said the festival would be held annually on Sept. 21 as part of efforts to promote Nigerian food and cultural products.
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According to him, the organizers hope to develop the celebration into an international event and establish franchises in different parts of the world.
Patrick Onazi, another co-convener, said the festival was inspired by the need to promote indigenous foods at a time when foreign cuisines such as pizza and doughnuts were gaining increasing popularity.
“We need to celebrate our own culture, our own culinary. That is why we created this opportunity to come together to launch the International Akara Day Festival today,” he said.
Onazi said akara could provide a viable source of income for people seeking to support themselves and their families while pursuing other economic opportunities.
He added that the festival would also accommodate other indigenous culinary products and reflect Nigeria’s diversity in language, culture and religion.
A participant, Mary Good, said the celebration provided an opportunity to encourage women to engage in small-scale businesses while reconnecting with indigenous food traditions.
Good said akara had traditionally been part of Nigerian households and that promoting it and other local foods could help preserve Nigeria’s cultural heritage among younger generations.
An akara vendor, Mallam Habila, said the festival had increased recognition for the food, particularly as some young Nigerians showed less interest in traditional delicacies and preferred modern fast foods.
NAN
