MADIA YA BWALA

This project by artist Robert Nzaou is called "Madia ya bwala" (meaning 'the food of Home' in English, 'la nouriture de chez nous' in French), it is a project that aims at highlighting and protecting indigenous plants and food of the Republic of Congo.

With the rise of the fast food industry across the globe and especially Africa, there has never been a better time to emphasize the benefit of local food and how the food of our home country always speaks to us.

The project hopefully also serves to draw attention to the fact that restaurants and hotels in Congo are serving less and less indigenous dishes, and so are indirectly implying that these are somehow below par on the international scene.

Foods like Nté nté, Ngaï ngaï, Mfumbu, Dongo Dongo, Binsunkudu, ba ngasi, madeso, sakasaka, kwanga as seen in the photos, are still cultivated by the people for the people using completely natural methods, no fertilisers, pesticides or other chemicals are involved in the growing or making process. These are the foods we grow up eating and these are the foods we dream of when we are away from home.

The artist feels that this work is important in highlighting that the traditional foods are still the healthiest for us and our children, that a slow and sustainable way of life can be fulfilling.