One of the wonderful birthday gifts I received - "Hunger For Freedom - The Story of Food in the Life of Nelson Mandela" by Anna Trapido
July is a month full of birthday celebrations in our house ! First it is my beloved Zonde’s special day (she’s just turned 12), then Dibble’s (the baby of the family - he has just turned 1), then when we were in South Africa my husband celebrated his birthday, and I celebrated mine back in Tanzania on Monday !
My husband & I were born within a mere week of each other – although almost a decade apart – in the same small maternity hospital in what was then Salisbury, Rhodesia (present day Harare, Zimbabwe) - although we only met many, many years later as adults in South Africa. What makes our common birth place even more unusual, is the fact that my mother-in-law was a midwife at this particular maternity home, and was working there when I was born and the chances that she was actually present at/around my actual birth are pretty high !
In a few more year’s time we both approach “milestone” birthdays as I will be turning 40, and my husband will be turning 50. I honestly don’t know where the years have gone – it feels like just a few years ago I was celebrating my 21st birthday ! I know that I am still young, but life is just so fleeting & I honestly don’t know where all the years are going, they seem to speed up the older one gets ?! (Approaching my 40’s makes me want to just slow the years down a little, put the brakes on and take time to savour each passing day … hey, no one wants to grow old too quickly now, do they ?)
I was thoroughly spoilt on my birthday and I wanted to share with you one of the lovely gifts which my husband gave me. It is the recently published book “Hunger For Freedom – The Story of Food in the Life of Nelson Mandela” by Anna Trapido. (As a side note, Nelson Mandela also celebrated a birthday this month - his 90th - Wow !)
I love this book not only because it has some amazing African recipes in it, but also because I have the greatest admiration and respect for Nelson Mandela. I think that he is one of the greatest men to have ever walked this earth. I only wish that there were more people in this world (and especially here in Africa) who had his outlook and philosophy on life, & I count myself lucky to have seen him in the flesh (he has the most incredible presence in person) many years ago at a charity event in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Anyway, the book is … incredible … to say the least. It is described by Zindzi Mandela as “ … an historical food-print whose passion and integrity offers a refreshing insight into the simple tastes of a great man”. (I love the idea of a “food-print” and of people leaving "food-prints" behind them – don’t you ?)
The book covers the significance and role which food has played in Mandela’s life … from when he was a young boy right up to the present day. It is an absolute delight and is peppered with quotes, precious photographs & copies of handwritten recipes and letters throughout.
You can be sure that I will be trying out a few of these traditional African recipes to post on the blog in the future. In the meantime, if you can get hold of a copy of this book, you must read it – I promise you won’t be disappointed !
