By Our Special Correspondent
Shillong: Meghalaya is all set to showcase its indigenous cuisine at the International Slow Food Festival organised by the Indigenous Terra Madre (Mei Ram-ew) Conference scheduled for May 2014.
In a conversation with the delegates of the Slow Food International from Turin, Italy on Monday, Chief Minister, Dr Mukul Sangma said, “We will use the Slow Food logo as a brand to promote our local cuisine. Government will be ready to assist those with interest to promote local indigenous food through capacity building so they can become good chefs.”
For months now the former Assistant President International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Phrang Roy has been working to put together the World Indigenous Terra Madre Conference that the State Government has agreed to host in May 2014 at Mawphlang. The ITM is an offshoot of the Slow Food Movement pioneered by Carlo Petrini who was in Shillong for the Slow Food Festival in Mawphlang in 2010.
This time the Executive Director of Slow Food International, Paolo Di Croce has come to personally meet Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma and his team of officers to discuss details for the proposed Conference. Di Croce was accompanied by Ms Anandi Soans, Director, Slow Food for South Asia.
Explaining the concept of the Slow Food Movement which is based on the judicious and equitable principle of ‘good, fair and safe’ food practices, Di Croce, an Environmental Engineer from the University of Turin informed Dr Sangma that this movement is also a platform for food growers who rarely ever get a fair deal. He expressed his appreciation to the chief minister for taking a personal interest to enable the people of Meghalaya to host this Conference.
The 2014 meeting is set to be a convergence of about 150 participants from 30 countries representing over 60 indigenous communities who share the conviction about Slow Food will be present at the Conference.
Phrang Roy leader of the Indigenous Partnership and other Slow Food Allies, Slow Food International will mobilise resources so that the maximum number of interested foreign delegations from different indigenous communities of the world could participate in the Conference.
Di Croce who had visited the Mawphlang Sacred Grove earlier in the day said it is a unique and an ideal place to hold such a Conference. “Seeing the enthusiasm of so many people in this Conference, I am confident that this will be one of the biggest events to be organised outside of Italy.
The Tourism and Agriculture departments are taking the lead in putting together the necessary infrastructure for this mega event. Earlier the chief minister welcomed the proposal of Slow Food International to make as much possible use of home stays in the villages in and around the venue of the Conference within the Hima Mawphlang.
“Visitors must experience the traditional warm hospitality of the people of Meghalaya. This Conference should also be used an an opportunity to build the capacity of our people in many diverse areas,” the Chief Minister said.
On 18 June, Paulo Di Croce met the 16 participants from Meghalaya who will be taking part in the Terra Madre meeting in October 2012 and who will thereafter play a leading role for the Conference in May 2014.
He later spoke to the staff and students of Synod College where Pius Ranee of Nongtraw village and an MSW student of St. Edmund’s College introduced him to the audience.
Paolo Di Croce will be travelling to Sohra to meet with some of the grassroots communities organised by Megahalaya Rural Development Society (MRDS) and Khat-ar Shnong Socio Organisation (KSO) who are playing an active role in promoting the Slow Food movement in Meghalaya.