The Sunday News
Roberta Katunga Senior Business Reporter
HOTEL operators around the country have adopted new concepts to break monotony when it comes to menus and eating places offered to conferencing groups as well as tourists by capitalising on the Zimbabwean culture under the banner of cultural tourism.The concept is based on creating a village setting and serving traditional foods while guests enjoy traditional dance and music which includes the mbira, imbube and marimba.
This concept has been adopted countrywide although how and when these meals are served differs according to venues.
The resort town of Victoria Falls has not been spared from the divergence in ‘‘normal’’ routine as most hotels have taken to serving traditional dishes and aptly naming venues for this service that is proving to be popular with both domestic and international visitors.
The Elephant Hills resort boasts of a cultural village launched during the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) summit held last year known simply as the Cultural Village while another popular spot is Safari Lodge’s The Boma — place of eating. The Victoria Falls Rainbow hotel has the Kraal while A’Zambezi’s famous Amulonga restaurant has not been left out.
Elephant Hills general manager, Mr Trythings Mutyandasvika, said the thrust of this concept was to give visitors menu and venue variety.
“This experience is different from the typical classical service we offer at other restaurants as in the cultural village, guests experience the real African and Zimbabwean rural life and it evokes memories in some guests,” said Mr Mutyandasvika.
He said besides the venue variety, traditional meals and entertainment, guests are treated to a brief history of the country through viewing the different artifacts in the “village”.
Some of these artifacts include a metal cabin believed to have been President Mugabe’s cell at one of the prisons, late Vice President Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo and Mama MaFuyana’s cabin as well as pictures that depict the history of Zimbabwe.
The cultural village not only has grass-thatched huts but also has a typical African courtyard, the dare, a sangoma set up and the dara concept.
“Our target has been on the conferencing market but in the near future we are looking at opening it everyday. This concept has proven to be very popular and our waiters are dressed in traditional attire to complement the theme,” he said.
The Elephant Hills cultural village has a seating capacity of 500 although the largest number that the hotel has played host is 300 people.
Known as King Makasa’s favourite corner, the Kingdom Hotel has a permanent traditional corner that serves traditional meals from breakfast right through to dinner.
General manager, Mr Derrick Kung, said the traditional corner has grown with extensiveness and popularity and the hotel had since widened the variety of dishes served there in order to cater for the growing interest.
“The corner is quite popular and most of our foreign guests go there to try out the African dishes and taste the different foods available. We have a chef stationed there who explains to guests what the dishes are, how they are taken as well as the health benefits,” said Mr Kung.
Dishes served at breakfast include deep fat fried drop scones which are best known as fat cooks, sweet potato fritters as well as tea made over a fire among other things and at lunch there is millet sadza, vegetables with peanut butter, amacimbi, and dried kapenta fish among other delicacies as well as desserts like umxhanxa.
Mr Kung said having a diversion from the norm was important for keeping the interest of the visitors who come to the country wanting to experience every aspect of the cultural life and said this was the reason why guests were welcomed by traditional dancers at the hotel’s reception area at check-in as the custom with a ‘‘kingdom’’.
Caribbea Bay Resort general manager, Mr Arnold Chikwanda, said the hotel located in the resort town of Kariba, also offered a traditional themed menu at least once a week when they had long staying groups, which is three nights and above as well as every Friday at the bar where amangqina (cow hooves) dishes are served.
“The concept arose when we wanted to break away from the monotony of Westernised dishes. The menu is served in the Jacana Terrace restaurant and the theme is brought to life through the art and craft that we use to decorate the buffet area as well as the restaurant entrance.
“As we are in Kariba and it is a Tonga region we tend to use more of the Nyaminyami sculptures, hippo and crocodile sculptures, as well as hand-crafted woven baskets and mats,” said Mr Chikwanda.
He said their menu was very popular among the more cultured clientele that at times may tend to request it more often thus resulting in them infusing traditional dishes with western dishes on the buffet.
“The heroes of the menu are our deep-fried fresh Zambezi sprats (matemba) and the welcome drink mutandabota which is a mixture of powdered umkhomo (mauyu) fruit and milk. In addition to this we also offer a traditional meal on the a la carte menu (which runs daily) which is called Hot Pot, it comprises traditionally cooked Kariba bream, beef stew or chicken stew served with either sadza or rice and cove,” he said.
Probably the pioneers of a traditional themed concept, The Boma — place of eating located in Victoria Falls, is still thriving and has, according to Africa Albida Tourism resort general manager Mr Jonathan Hudson, upgraded by bringing in more traditional music.
Mr Hudson said in addition to the dance and drumming session, they have introduced the mbira and were working on bringing in animal sounds to be played in the background as people dine.
“The Boma concept began 23 years ago as a thatch open air restaurant offering traditional dishes but has since expanded. Guests are offered fortune telling opportunities with a sangoma, face paintings and hair braiding and they will be clad in traditional print material,” said Mr Hudson.
Mr Hudson said there were incentives offered to those who try certain dishes like the mopani worms (amacimbi), where they get certificates.
He said The Boma was very popular although it suited certain markets and about 95 percent of people who dine there enjoyed it.
“This is one of the best family restaurants in the country and The Boma provides a unique cultural experience that bombards the senses with the tastes, sights, sounds and smells of Africa, together with the warmth and hospitality of Zimbabwe and its people,” he said.
The concept of the traditional meals and venues has grown in the country with a number of restaurants also offering similar dishes as they have numerous health benefits.
Some of the dishes served at different hotels and restaurants include road runner chicken, millet sadza, cattle hooves, mopane worms, grilled game meats, peanut butter rice among other delicacies. Drinks include amahewu and traditionally brewed alcohol.
