AFRICA UTOPIA FOOD AND DRINK TAKEOVER [VIDEO]

The dust has settled on what I can only describe as a whirlwind of a weekend. The African Food and Drink Takeover at the Southbank Centre (organised by Pop Up Africa as part of the Africa Utopia festival) was a fun and rewarding event to be a part of. A joy from start to finish really...from meeting people from all walks of life, to catching up with friends who came to support, to the quality time I spent with family who were there for me during the weekend. Even the slight drizzle and wind on Saturday couldn't dampen the excitement that tore through the Southbank Centre Square. There was a steady buzz throughout, punctuated by mad rushes of people swarming between gazebos, sampling the varied delights of African-inspired cuisines. We only realised this halfway through, but the fact that most countries on the continent are traditionally not very big on desserts actually worked in our favour. There was jollof rice for days...stews...curries...plantain...and every other savoury treat you can imagine...but save Sunday, The Vegan Nigerian stall was the only one selling a range of cakes! That, coupled with the whole oxymoronic (this word was thrown our way a couple of times over the weekend) "Vegan AND Nigerian??" thing was enough to capture people's attention.

Yes, I was sleep deprived for the most part (although my body refused to crash until it was all over). Yes, I may have had a moment or two where I wanted to shove a baking tray aside and call it a night. And yes, this event may have required almost super-human levels of hard work in terms of prep (well, in my mind it did anyway..ha!), but I would do it all again...although perhaps I'll hire out an industrial kitchen next time so that I can knock the food out in half the time!!

When all is said and done, all I can say is: sign me up for next year!

All the footage and pictures from the day have been compiled into the video above. Have a watch, like, subscribe, and all that good stuff :)