Colonial Calories: The Infiltration of English Breakfast into Tswana School Diets?

In a recent article published by The Century Buzz, titled “Government Set to Introduce English Breakfast in Schools,”it was revealed that our president, Advocate Duma Gideon Boko, in line with the National Schools Feeding Program, plans to introduce the English breakfast, complete with components like eggs, tomatoes, and avocados, among others.

I immediately thought to myself, Wow – this is great! Such a move is, on the surface, progressive. Our youngsters will finally be exposed to a variety of nutrients that many would otherwise not have access to at home due to reasons such as affordability. 

However, as I read through the article, I noticed that there was a vehement intent to get rid of Tswana cuisine, totally. The Pan-Africanist in me felt a kick in the gut. As a Trotskyist, I felt the radical Marxist in me erupt. The anticipation of what this could mean for our local cuisine tightened my chest. The first thought that came to mind was: Will the bogobe and beef I so enjoyed in primary school, cooked with such passion and tenderness, be forsaken in exchange for an English breakfast whose ingredients are primarily grown outside Botswana? 

A patriot, I asked myself: Could it be that this move, in the eyes of many, overlooks coming across as a snub that discredits the creativity of the cuisine our ancestors brought to light—one that nourished generations of Batswana, both learned and unlearned by Eurocentric standards?

And again: What does this mean for the food supply chain in our education system? What happens to the thousands of Batswana farmers growing mabele (sorghum), mmidi (maize), stampa (samp), dinawa (beans), and more?

Unequivocally, I see no good in it. 

Our culture should be paramount in this land, at the very least. Because it is with great conviction that I attest to the second-class citizenry that Black culture is afforded in the West, the Middle East, and the Far East. And now, on our own soil, the same insidious logic creeps into our schools, onto the very plates that feed our future. I stand against it and would like to make it clear that samp is not “tantamount to treating students like prisoners” – setampa ke segarona