🔅 The Rebirth of Nigeria's Premium Palm Spirit
South African MP's Controversial Comments
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The Rebirth of Ògógóró: Nigeria's Premium Palm Spirit
In an eco-tourist hamlet near Lagos, a once-ostracized spirit is making a triumphant return. Ògógóró, a distilled palm sap drink, was once a beloved West African favourite until colonial authorities proscribed it as "illicit gin" a century ago. Now, thanks to the efforts of entrepreneurs like Lola Pedro, co-founder of Pedro's Premium Ògógóró, this traditional spirit is finding its way back onto shelves across the globe, from London to Paris and New York.
Pedro, a 42-year-old researcher, has been spending a lot of time at the eco-resort in Badagry, surrounded by coconut and African apple trees, where she brainstormed ideas for "Nigeria's first premium spirit."Â
The colonial-era stigma surrounding Ògógóró, which many believe was a move to popularise British gin and boost colonial revenues, has long overshadowed the cultural, economic, and spiritual significance of palm wine and its distilled counterpart in West Africa.
Crafting a New Narrative
Pedro and her co-founder, Chibueze Akukwe, are on a mission to change the negative reputation of Ògógóró. "Ògógóró is not even gin," Pedro emphasises, as she uncorks a bottle of London Manya, a champagne-type tipple made from pasteurised palm wine. The duo enlisted South African master distiller Roger Jorgensen to use the same distillation techniques as the artisans in the Niger Delta's riverine communities, where the spirit is still cooked in pots and drums.
The result is a premium spirit that captures the essence of its origins. The 500ml bottles, inscribed with a 15-line poem ending with "I am ours," feature a logo inspired by indigenous symbols, encapsulating the six cardinal elements of the spirit's fabrication: water, the palm tree, drum, fire, machete, and people.Â
Bordeaux-based wine consultant Chinedu Rita Rosa praises Pedro's Ògógóró for its mellow yet strong, smoky character and the lingering taste of tropical flavours like coconut and vanilla.
The resurgence of Ògógóró and other new-age spirits from West Africa has not only caught the attention of millennials and food critics but has also sparked debates on decolonization and ancestral heritage.
For Pedro, whose name hints at her heritage as a descendant of formerly enslaved Africans who returned from Brazil to Lagos in the 19th century, the revival of Ògógóró holds a deeper meaning. "Ògógóró is a vehicle to talk about our identity," she says.
South African MP's Greatest Hits: A Compilation of Controversial Comments
Just when you thought South African politics couldn't get any more interesting, Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Renaldo Gouws decided to spice things up with a blast from his racist past. The white-led DA, which recently formed a coalition government with the African National Congress (ANC), has suspended Gouws faster than you can say "foot in mouth."
A viral video from 2010 shows Gouws dropping racial slurs like they're going out of style. He even went as far as to claim he's the victim of a "new apartheid" because black people are discriminating against white people.
Gouws, a YouTuber who was sworn into parliament just last Friday, has a whole catalog of controversial comments. From using homophobic slurs to mocking traditional praise singers with babble, he's been busy offending pretty much everyone.
The DA, initially thinking the video was fake (because who would believe an MP could be that offensive?), quickly changed its tune and suspended Gouws. Meanwhile, DA leader John Steenhuisen tried to downplay the situation, saying, "The remarks need to be seen in their context. He's apologised for them. It was 16 years ago." Because apparently, racism has an expiration date.
Gouws himself apologized "unreservedly" for a different video from 2008, claiming he's not racist and blaming his "younger and immature self."
This scandal couldn't have come at a worse time for the DA, which is already facing criticism for partnering with the ANC. Many South Africans believe the DA favours the interests of the white minority, and Gouws' actions aren’t exactly helping their case.
Food for Thought
“An intelligent enemy is better than a stupid friend."
— Senegalese Proverb