NO DEVIL ON THE PLATE

I was grateful for an opportunityto give a lecture at the Democracy Festival in Reykjavik, Iceland for 2022. The lecture was followed by a conversation with Guðrún Soley, a cookbook author, media personality and activist, during the question and answer lecture at the Democracy Festival in Reykjavik. I spoke about the connections between indigenious governance and food amongst the Agìkùyù. Little did I know that the subject of language would come out of the conversation. Soon after my lecture a person in the audience let me in into the secret.

It pleased my heart to learn that I was standing on the shoulders of elder and a teacher of several generations,professor Ngùgi wa Thiong'o, author of Gìkùyù book, Caitani Mùtharabai-nì ( Devil on the Cross). It is one of my favorite of Ngugi's many books, along with Decolonising The Mind. I wondered if it was a coincidence that I choose the theme od Decolonision for the residencywithout knowing that Ngùgi's book was the first to be translated from indigenious language of Gìkùyù into Icelandic. As an unintended payback, Guðrún gifted me a signed copy of her cookbook written in Iceland. That means that I either have to translate the cookbook or simply acquire a copy of Ngugi's book in Icelandic as a companion. It will be interesting to have the two copies in our village library in the near future. It will be on sign of the finitude of food.

Professor Ngùgi was invited for the event marking the launch of his book. I met with a professor who was present at the event as well as the translator who did the marvelous job. They all spoke very fondly of the whole event as well as the broader work of professor Ngùgi. I felt so much like an intellectual child of Professor Ngùgi with my work around Decolonising African Food, whose work has propped me along the long journey since my youth. Hopefully the journey will continue.

Along the musical work of Fela Kuti, I am deeply indebted to these two Africans in making me comfortable in my African journey that eventually included the journey into both indigenious and Black self hood. My knowing that I was walking in the footsteps of Professor Ngùgi made me more comfortable in what was otherwise unfamiliar territory. Thanks again to residency at the Nordic House Iceland! Thayû !

Chef Kabui

The Hex Kitchen is a collaboration between Chef Kabui and the Hex community in a bid to promote food literacy, mindful eating and wealth creation. There is a natural connection between those who are fighting against fiat currency and those engaged in the struggle against fiat food. The two social ills of fiat currency and fiat food are at the heart of the tyrannic global world system we are now living in. That tyranny is directly connected to the climate crisis we face and there is no way we can solve one part of the problem without being mindful of the whole system, For a start, the Hex Kitchen is keen on addressing the issues of real money and real food as a basis on regaining our sovereign power. It is no accident that the struggle for food justice would find allies in cryptography and more specifically cryptocurrency. It is not a usual collaboration but yet it is one that makes sense on many levels. Chef Kabui has been studying and applying the power of food literacy, mindful eating and food justice in the struggle against oppression in general and specifically to people of African descent.

Chef Kabui has studied the disciplines of politics, anthropology and culinary arts and has designed a cuisine or rather an approach to food that is informed by the above experience and the indigenous knowledge that he gained from his Kenyan family’s history as sustainable farmers for generations. The combined experience and education resulted in the creation of a cuisine called Afro Futuristic Conscious Cuisine. It is a combination of the most sustainable practices in the growing, preparation of food with the goal of causing the least damage to the environment and maximizing the health benefits of the food. Those two conditions are necessary for a mindful community that ensures that justice thrives.

Chef Kabui has been pushing organic food and healthy eating based on his research and his own experience. The idea of healthy food and justice is not something that chef Kabui got into but was born in it. His family operated a farm and his father ran a restaurant in the capital city of Nairobi. Kabui grew up in the village with his mother where they grew almost all the food they consumed. It was at his family farm that he Kabui developed a love for fresh food and the art of consuming food following the natural cycles of seasons.

The collaboration aims to share the skills for healthy food to the Hex community and beyond. No community can survive without food and the Hex community is no different. The Hex Kitchen is another assembly point for the community to be nourished both physically and socially. While wealth is private, food is social and having a kitchen for the community to assemble is a great option for a community that is causing ripples across the world.

What to Expect

The Kitchen will have virtual classes, content on Youtube and other social media presence for a start. The goal is that the Kitchen will have a physical place that will have a kitchen in a farm that will grown food and have space that guest can visit. The farm will have a demonstration farm for the vegetables, fruits and herbs,

For the schedule of upcoming classes please visit our events section and find a class that is fit for your schedule.