Nutrition in East Africa

Abstract

Opening ParagraphBroadly speaking it is true to say that the Colonial Empire woke up all of a sudden, some eight years ago, to the fact that it was faced with nutritional problems of considerable magnitude. In 1936, as part of the outcome of a debate on world nutrition at Geneva in the previous September, the British Colonial Secretary asked for a report from each colony on the state of nutrition within its borders. The chorus of woe evoked by this was startling in its unanimity and showed that the little heeded scientific voices of the preceding years had after all been saying something of the greatest importance.

Colonisation, the New World Order, and the eradication of traditional food habits in East Africa: historical perspective on the nutrition transition

“…The primary vectors for the cultural indoctrination were the mission schools, boarding schools and public health programmes responsible for educating the youth 70 . These methods of 'education' have uniformly reduced knowledge related to the cultivation and preparation of traditional and wild foods 76 . Traditional knowledge has been devalued as the education of children has shifted away from the tribal elders, the primary educators in the past, to the imperial powers via the church and school 64,77 .…”

“…Traditional knowledge has been devalued as the education of children has shifted away from the tribal elders, the primary educators in the past, to the imperial powers via the church and school 64,77 . 'Education' encouraged 'sophistication', which included a repugnance for traditional foods and ancient methods of food preparation 76 , explaining, at least partially, why nutritious, indigenous foods are drastically underutilised and undervalued today 66,[78][79][80][81] .…”

FROM LONG-TERM PATTERNS OF SEASONAL HUNGER TO CHANGING EXPERIENCES OF EVERYDAY POVERTY: NORTHEASTERN GHANA C. 1930–2000

“…of colonial nutrition surveys in sub-Saharan Africa, Dr. B. Platt. 74 He had no choice but to present the nutritional intakes collected by Purcell on the eve of the Second World War. His conclusion seemed straightforward: 'the people of the Northern Region are underfed and there is a periodic shortage of food during the so-called '' hungry season '' which coincides with the period of heaviest agricultural work '.…”