Is fast food the latest form of cultural imperialism to hit Africa?
When Beatrice Ayacko left Kenya for a three-week stay in Italy, she was not about to be impressed by the food of a country that is commonly considered to have one of the world’s finest cuisines. She packed her case with maize flour so that she could cook her beloved ugali, and pined for sukuma wiki – Kenyan greens prepared with onion and garlic. But there are signs that the loyalty to African food exemplified by Beatrice is being eroded. Western food, and, in particular fast food like burgers, is gaining popularity in Africa. In many African cities it is considered sophisticated to eat at one of the increasing number of fast food joints. In Accra’s main commercial street, Osu, Nandos, Steers and the local fried chicken restaurant, Papaye, are full of mostly young people every night of the week. Arriving in Blantyre, Malawi, a British visitor recently wanted to sample the local food. She says she was taken from one fried chicken shop to the next. “It was as though my Malawian host thoug
