Grandma: Good evening everyone, I am very happy to have nearly all of you in this meeting, my happiness came from the fact that, with the short notice I gave, all of you came to honour me with your attendance, this is a sign that all of you can be trusted, once more, I say, a big thank you.
The reason for this meeting may not be clear to you yet, as young housewives, our town is drifting and our chiefs do not have their thinking caps again, nothing is at ease any longer.
To have three square meals these days is a herculean task, not to talk of paying different bills.
To add salt to all these injuries, the main stay of our forefathers, which they handed over to us are already bastardised, they are being taken away from us by the bandits and herdsmen, who now occupy our farmlands. Their kinds also kill and maim our husbands, after taking their wives.
All this had been a hindrance to our collective survival, which has in turn created great fear and despondency in our town.
Having said all this, my main purpose in this meeting with you is to see how we can keep our families together. These are trying times, which are only meant for survival of the fittest.
Prices of foodstuffs have gone beyond the reach of an average individual in our town.
When we look at all this, the number one front line of defence for health issues, which is food, has been destroyed, or is in the process of being destroyed. If you don’t eat well, you will spend more money at herbal centres, clinics and patent medicine stores. And if you are not that lucky you may end up in one of these general hospitals. At the end of the day when the doctors discharge you, the golden advice will be for you to eat well before taking your drugs.
My dear daughters, there are so many crops, which God in His infinite mercy, has blessed us with, but what I noticed is this, we, that is, myself inclusive, we price and pride all the imported foods far above our local foods. That has been our point of crisis and lamentations, all these exotic foods are not better in anyway than our local foods, but because we want to belong, we prefer to join them, looking for what is not lost, and we are suffering .
You may call me old school, nothing is wrong with that, maybe that is the reason why some of us are still around.
You need to look around you, get those things that are simply available, take care of yourself and your family. I know things will get better.
Housewife: Thank you, grandma, I must tell you that this meeting has been long overdue, as the most senior house wife, telling you this, you need to ask me why? Since the ascension of our last chief, things have been unsettling all over our town, the centre can no longer hold, the rich are crying, same with the poor, which is even louder.
In short, the whole place is in crisis, majority of our husbands are jobless, since bandits and herdsmen have taken over their farmlands, the little businesses that some of us housewives do, are no longer yielding profits due to Naira and Dollar war.
Grandma, I must tell you, we are restless, we can no longer feed well, with due respect ma, you were saying, we are steeped in exotic foods, what you fail to understand is that, we are not of the same generation, and as you rightly observed earlier, you are of the old school.
Our thinking, orientation and choice of foods, in this case, are also generations apart.
Let me state categorically here now, you cannot bring us to this town for us to suffer. If you cannot give us a leeway to the end of our challenges, on how we can surmount this pang of hunger in the next few weeks, this town will be deserted. But before then, just be expecting mother of all protests, the type that will shake the whole town, and beyond.
Grandma: My daughter, there is no need for any protest, I want to use you as a point of contact, on how you people can live happily well within this period of hardship, there is no doubt about it, things are tough, but people who can innovate, will get by, in terms of feeding.
You need to reject, or do away with exotic foods that attract exorbitant prices, look inward, consult elderly women who have been around for some time, you may learn one or two tricks from them on how to navigate this hard times.
Have you ever thought you from Cassava, you can get flour, flakes, bread, fufu, starch, tapioca etc?
It is the same with guinea corn, maize, yam cocoyam. A variety of foods can be derived from these crops.
For instance, I don’t know why we must eat imported rice, when our local rice is available, more nutritious, of better taste and pocket friendly.
Please, try all this out, you will come back to thank me.
As you take your leave, please, help spread the gospel of endurance with other housewives, I assure you, this time too, shall pass, and we will be alive to tell the story.
