BY DR TONY MONDA
The falsehood that maize, our staple diet, was a Western import that did not exist in Zimbabwe prior to its importation either by the Portuguese during their incursions into Zimbabwe during Munhumutapas’ reign in the Middle Ages (1100 – 1400), or the white missionaries prior to the pioneer settlers in 1890, or the white settlers themselves, is a myth that needs to be debunked.
In light of the current State food security scheme of Command Agriculture masterminded and approved by his Excellency the president of the republic of Zimbabwe the right Honourable Robert Gabriel Mugabe, in 2016, it is incumbent that we re-visit our maize heritage and trace its indigenous African origins and pedigree.
Contrary to popular belief maize is in fact, indigenous to Zimbabwe and was grown throughout the country prior to the arrival of the Portuguese or the white pioneer settlers, who are usually credited for its introduction.
Although low yielding, the hardy, drought-resistant indigenous maize strain is where the first white settler farmers obtained their seed from in the early 1890s.
The story begins thus: “Zea Mays” or Maize, is a tall annual grass, cultivated for centuries in Mexico for its edible grains which develop on a spike and fruit on a cob. The maize was ground to flour used to make bread, tortillas, etc. The grain of the maize plant has been used for food, animal fodder and as a source of maize oil that is used for various purposes.
Its Occidental name comes from the 16th Century Spanish “Maiz”, from Taino Mahiz. The crop spread through much of the Americas, from where the early seafaring Portuguese explorers and colonisers obtained their original seeds.
Subsequent to the European contact with Mesoamerica in the late 15th and early 16th Centuries, well after the Munhumutapa era, these explorers and traders carried “Maiz” back to Europe and introduced it to other countries. Due to its adaptability and ability to grow in diverse climates, maize soon spread to the rest of the world.
Before they were domesticated, maize plants only grew small corn cobs of 25 millimetres long, and only one cob per plant. After centuries of artificial selection by various indigenous people, maize plants capable of growing several cobs of several centimetres long and more cobs per plant were developed.
Today, the maize plant is often 3mt in height, or taller. The stem is commonly composed of 20 internodes of 18cm length, with a leaf growing from each node; generally 9cm in width and 120cm in length. The cobs, often pale yellow in colour develop to approximately 18cm in length when mature, often referred to as the “seed”.
The cob approximates a multiple fruit in structure, except that the kernels or individual fruits never fuse into a single mass but adhere in regular rows around a white, pithy substance, which forms the ear. The maximum size of kernels is reputedly 2.5 cm; an ear commonly holds 600 kernels. World-wide there are of various colours of maize, including: blackish, bluish-gray, purple, green, red, white and yellow.
Planting density affects multiple aspects of maize. Modern farming techniques in developed countries usually rely on dense planting, which produces one ear per stalk. Stands of silage maize are yet denser, and achieve a lower percentage of “ears” and with more plant matter.
When ground into a meal, maize yields more flour with much less bran than wheat, without the protein gluten of wheat and, therefore, makes baked goods with poor rising capability. A genetic variant that accumulates more sugar and less starch in the ear is consumed as a vegetable and is called “sweet corn”.
Other new varieties of maize have been bred to produce many additional developed ears, including the “baby corn” used as a vegetable in cooking or salads, as well as in Asian cuisine.
Immature maize shoots are known to accumulate a powerful antibiotic substance that serves as a natural defence against a wide range of pests, pathogenic fungi and bacteria, including insect. However, as the maize matures, levels and resistance decline
The indigenous African memory of maize is part of our ancestral heritage. It is part of the deep-rooted terrigenous memory of the master-agrarian people of Munhumutapa; prior to Portuguese incursions, to the early onset of gold diggers and hunters, the influx of missionary, an much earlier than the recent settler occupation, annexations and colonisation.
In fact in July 1890, Harvey-Brown detailed in a report the food rations of the pioneer corps consisting of “… a course wheat flower called Boer meal that was served every evening to the members – SADZA”
Upfu or Maize meal is a staple for the people of most parts of Southern Africa. It is commonly known in Afrikaansas “mielie-meal”, from which they cook pap, and “mealie” in English; the names are derived from “milho” the Portuguese word for maize.
Maize meal or mealie meal is relatively coarse flour made from the de-husked maize kernels. It is a staple food in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana and many other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, traditionally also made into “Umngqusho”, sour-milk porridge or “bota”. In Zambia it is called “nsima”, “ugali” in Swahili, and “isitshwala” in Ndebele.
The use of the name “Maize” is preferred in formal, scientific, and international usage by agricultural bodies and research institutes such as the FAO and CSIRO, and is often included in the names of national agricultural and industry association, such as: the Maize Association of Australia, the Indian Maize Development Association, the Kenya Maize Consortium and Maize Breeders Network, the National Maize Association of Nigeria, the Zimbabwe Seed Maize Association. Even though “maize” may not be the local word
It was maize, not wheat, which gave Zimbabwe the “Bread Basket of Africa” Status in the mid-1990s. Even modern Zimbabwean musicians derived considerable inspiration from our maize and sadza heritage.
In the 1950s Zimbabwean folk guitarist Marko Takaingofu sang; “Sadza wadya here, Chikende?” Allusions to sadza were also made in Biggy Tembo’s Afro Pop hit “Kuwanda kwakanaka…”, Joseph Musabika and the Tutankhamen Band’s “Torai kapadza” in the 1970s, and Andy Brown’s “Sadza ne Nyama”, all illustrate the memory of our staple food and the ingrained knowledge of food security it provided amongst the people. Mostly because of its shallow roots, maize is susceptible to droughts, intolerant of nutrient-deficient soils, and prone to be uprooted by severe winds. Given our suitable soils and high altitude one wonders if some of the tropical maize cultivars that grow in higher latitudes may prove useful in producing bio fuels or silage in Zimbabwe.
Dr. Tony Monda holds a PhD. in Art Theory and Philosophy and a DBA (Doctorate in Business Administration) and Post-Colonial Heritage Studies. He is a writer, lecturer, musician, art critic, practicing artist and Corporate Image Consultant. He is also a specialist Art Consultant, Post-Colonial Scholar, Zimbabwean Socio-Economic analyst and researcher. E-mail: tonym.MONDA@gmail.com
About Author
