Have you ever wondered what the food you eat everyday can tell you about where you come from? Have you ever wondered why people from different parts of the world eat different types of food? Do you ever ask yourself why certain foods or culinary traditions are so important to your culture?
There is more of a connection between food and culture than you may think. On an individual level, we grow up eating the food of our cultures. It becomes a part of who each of us is and many of us associate food from our childhood with warm feelings and good memories and it ties us to our families, holding a special and personal value for us.
The month of March remains a very important period to all Ghanaians around the world as the country celebrates it’s the anniversary of its independence from British colonial over sixty years ago. This year isn’t different in spite of the devastative impact of the coronavirus pandemic around the world.
Leading Ghanaian Hospitality Company, Coconut Grove Hotels, is one organization which appears very eager for the celebrations this year and has announced a campaign to mark Ghana’s 64th Independence Day celebration with the COVID -19 protocols fully enforced.
Over the week, I touched base with Afua Taylor Ashie, the Administrative Manager of Coconut Grove Regency Hotel to discuss the hotel’s campaign. Dubbed ‘Eat Ghana’, it is to celebrate Ghana’s Independence celebration with focus on authentic indigenous cuisine.
As part of the campaign, Coconut Grove Regency Hotel located in Accra will showcase and serve food from all the sixteen regions of Ghana throughout the month. Each week, the spotlight will be on four regions and their most popular or significant food which will be on sale for that week.
To create the buzz and get public engagement to sustain the campaign, there will also be a special social media social media trivia to get members of the general public to participate in the campaign. Weekly winners will be announced and presentation of the prizes done within the week.
According to Mrs Ashie, “there is nothing more important than good health and yet it always seems to take a backseat to almost everything else. A major part of the problem is the perception that healthy food can either taste good, or be convenient, but not both. It’s not that people don’t want to eat healthy rather there never seems to be enough time to create healthy and satisfying meals.”
She went on to emphasize on the one month long ‘Eat Ghana’ campaign which will be executed by all the subsidiaries and branches of Coconut Grove Hotels; Accra, Sakumono, Elmina and Obuasi from March 1, 2021.
“The month of March is not just a celebration of Ghana’s independence, for us, it symbolizes a lot more than just that. We are looking at celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Ghana and also projecting the country’s indigenous products and services. As a company, we are using all our platforms across the nation within the hospitality sector to achieve this,” she added.
On the benefit of the campaign to national development, Mrs. Ashie said “as a country which seeks to develop its manufacturing sector and also embark on an industrialization drive, it is important to look at all possible means of promoting the patronage of locally manufactured goods and services.
That way, we will be creating jobs for our citizens to help them improve their standard if lives and also put food on the table for themselves, their families and other people who depend on them for their livelihood.”
Coconut Grove Hotels has over the years championed healthy foods and lifestyle by offering families, organizations and individuals the opportunity to treat themselves to a variety of healthy Ghanaians meals at all their branches.
On their promise to the general public, Mrs. Ashie indicated that “as a company, we are in the business of exceeding expectations. We give our clients exactly what they want and even more to make them feel at home. At Coconut Grove Hotels, we create memories worth repeating.”
