Cresta Riley’s Hotel hosted the 9th Edition of their annual Ngamiland Food festival over the weekend in Maun after a two year hiatus due to covid 19 restrictions.
The fun filled event attracted scores of foodies who enjoyed delectable food from an array of traditional cuisine in a setting of fun and entertainment.
Cresta Sales and Marketing Manager North, Wame Masike gave a brief history of the even, which started in 2013 as a way of showcasing Botswana’s culture to their international market.
“ Considering that we are in the travel and tourism industry we started this event to show our culture in traditional food, song and dance. We want our guests to see that there is more to local tourism than wild animals,” explained Masike.
According to Masike the show also seeks to empower local communities as they have also been hit by the Covid 19 Pandemic.
“ All of the traditional food ingredients for the food we prepared were sourced from local farmers, even the entertainment which was in the form of traditional games competitions were by local people as our way of empowering Ngamiland communities” added Masike.
Giving his remarks, Councillor Petros Tjetjoo expressed gratitude to Cresta for organising a meaningful event that seeks to celebrate Botswana’s rich culture.
“It is not a secret that tourism was hardest hit by the pandemic, but now that tourists are beginning to trickle in, let us sell our culture more so that instead of just flying over Maun into the Okavango Delta to see wild animals, they will now experience our culture in food, song, dance and attire” said Tjetjo who went on to commend Cresta Riley’s for identifying a need to empower the community by sourcing supplies for the show locally.
The 8th Ngamiland Food Festival was sponsored by Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) and Kalahari Breweries .