Here is the link.
Everything is new to me, and even we google it, we cannot get enough information.
So this must be such a precious chance to know Benin foods and culture.
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Hi all, It’s time to give you an assignment for this class, as I mentioned earlier. I always try to choose themes based on conversations wit... -
Dear all, It is just a coincidence that all presenters' names start with Y. Here is the link. In Japan, Buddhist restrictions may not b... -
Here is the link. Have you guys ever tried making mochi (rice cake) using a mortar and pestle? When I was a kid, we usually do it on around...
I had no previous knowledge of this festival, and I would be delighted to learn more about it. I am curious to know if the discussions held during the Yam Festival have ever had a notable political impact on the country. Could you kindly share some example of a project that resulted from it? Thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your comment. Yes of course, the discussions held during the festival have been impactful so far. They helped the local municipality of Savalou to take seriously the projects of electrification and roads constructions within the prefecture to ease goods and people's traffic. Modern markets have also been built for the rural population to improve hygiene and living conditions of the markets users .
DeleteThank for your presentation. Yam Festival is not only a celebration of harvest and culture but also holds significant social and unifying meaning. In your presentation, you mentioned that Beyond the religious aspect, this celebration is an opportunity to discuss the problems encountered by the municipality and to provide solutions. Is it the event that has existed since the creation of Yam festival, or is it an extension of the festival?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. As I mentioned in the presentation, the festival has originally been celebrated just as a simple feast of thanksgiving and prayers to the divinities . But from 1954, the emerging youth of Savalou has found it important to extend the festival to a moment of not only feast but a moment of togetherness where discussions are held towards the municipality's development questions. So yes, "opportunity to discuss the problems encountered by the municipality and to provide solutions" has been an extension of the festival.
DeleteThank you for your presentation.
ReplyDeleteI would like to know your own experiences or memories from participating in the Yam festival. Thank you.
Thank you for your comment. Actually my native hometown is in Comè municipality, which is 240km far away from Savalou municipality where the festival is originated from and held. So I have not ever been privileged to experience directly the festival so far. However I remember those days where we were undergraduate Students, I had a friend whose native town is Savalou. He always travelled back for the festival and once we meet at campus, he told me about how things went during the event and he was even used to bringing me some fresh yam as gift.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the PPT. For the very 1st time I heard about this festival. Although the food is familiar with me. The festival is amazing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your nice comment! I'am glad you learnt something new!
DeleteThank you for the introduction.
ReplyDeleteLike others, I was surprised to see that the festival serves as a place for problem solving.
At the same time, all the dishes using yams look delicious and made me hungry.
What is your favorite yam dish?
Kentaro San, thank you for your comment! Indeed, I also like Yam dish so so much!! My favorite yam dish is Pounded Yam and goat meat soup...
DeleteThank you so much for your introduction. This is my first time hearing about this festival. I’m curious, do you know why yam is chosen as the main food for the celebration instead of other foods like cassava?
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for your comment! Yes actually the reason of choosing Yam instead of cassava is because Yam is the most cultivated tuber crop in Central Benin. Beside, Yam has a precise schedule from land preparation to the harvest, which is well arranged in farmers habits and agricultural practices.
DeleteI've heard of yam, but I've never seen or eaten it. And I was surprised yam was the focus of a festival that had such a big impact on the area.
ReplyDeleteIs this unique to yam? Are there similar festivals for other crops?
Thanks Kanade for your comment and sorry for my late reply. Yes, Yam has indeed been an interest to people to an extend that a whole festival is settled up for celebrating Yam. It is however understandable as Yam appears as the most cultivated tuber root crop in Savalou region. As for other crops, there is no festival for them so far. It is anyway amazing to know how valuable Yam can be to some people somewhere in the world right??
DeleteThank you for your presentation!
ReplyDeleteI heard that some of underground vegetables, like sweet potatoes, tend to be stored to enhance their sweetness. In your presentation, fresh yam is used in the festival. I wonder if people prefer fresh yam over stored ones.
Yui, thanks for your nice words and comment. Yes you are right. However, this festival happens ahead of Yam harvest, like it's held the day before the beginning of harvest. That's why only fresh Yam is used. It means some of the fresh yam are sampled on the farm and enjoyed first during the festival, then can follow the harvest. However, people do have their various ways to store underground vegetables like yam in Savalou, either by using natural of chemically based products.
ReplyDelete