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Success of the Italian Cultural and Culinary Week in Uganda 2019

#Inclusion is within everyone’s ability

The Embassy of Italy is pleased to announce that the Italian Cultural and Culinary week, organised under the high patronage of the President of the Republic of Italy, took place in Uganda from 18 to 23 November 2019.
This edition has been dedicated to the expression of the excellences of the Italian culture and cuisine, while supporting a noble cause: “Inclusion is within everyone’s ability”.

The programme started on Monday 18th November with the inauguration of the “Leonardo Opera Omnia” exhibition (which will be displayed at the Uganda Museum until 5th of January 2020) and of the renovation works of the Museum’s main hall (200m2). The exhibition features 17 extremely high-definition and true-to-scale reproductions of Da Vinci’s masterpieces. Among these, “The Last Supper” and the “Mona Lisa”. The function was graced by the presence, as Guest of Honour, of the Vice-President Edward Ssekandi, accompanied by Hon. Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu, Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities.
During the evening the Embassy’s guests – the music band “Ladri di Carrozzelle” and the chefs from Piedmont region – were introduced, along with the activities of the week. It was also the occasion for the launch of a raffle – organised by the Cultural Association of Italians in Uganda (CAIU) with the patronage of the Embassy – in favour of Katalemwa Cheshire Home, a Ugandan NGO that from more than 49 years is dealing with children with disabilities (www.katalemwacheshire.org).

“Italy in Bwaise” (Tuesday, 19th November) brought closer Leonardo and Italian culture to the children of a school in Bwaise II Parish (Kampala), managed by the Ugandan organization AFFCAD – Action For Fundamental Change And Development. At the same time, the Embassy organised a cooking lesson, held by one of the chefs from Piedmont, on Italian cuisine at the AFFCAD Catering School. The students had the chance to learn how to make some of the most known Italian dishes: pizza and fresh pasta; two foods that are easy to reproduce with the ingredients/tools at their disposal.

During the Week the Italian music band “Ladri di Carrozzelle” (translated in English as “the Wheelchair Thieves”), made of youth with disabilities, brought to Uganda its mission of social inclusion and promotion of “diversity” through music. They performed in various events, among which a dedicated concert on the 20th of November, the only extra-european performance of their tour. Playing along them, the Ugandan band “Wind Music Generation”. On the same night, Italian food and wine was on sale.

The Italian chefs from EnAIP Piedmont offered a training to the students of the Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute in Jinja (from 18th to 20th November) and they got back to Kampala for the Pizza vs Rolex competition (Thursday, 21st November at Pizza Italia Restaurant). The initiative had a great welcoming from the local and Italian communities (as well as other expats); the event started with a brief lesson on the two dishes’ preparation and it continued with the tasting and vote. They were also in charge of conducting a master cooking class at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel (Saturday 23rd November), whose proceeds have been donated to Katalemwa Cheshire Home as well.

On Friday 22nd November, an Authentic Italian Dinner Buffet was hosted at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel, with a menu created with the collaboration of the chefs from Piedmont. The evening was entertained by live music by Ladri di Carrozzelle and, towards its end, there were the draw of the aforementioned raffle, whose first prizes were two return air tickets to Italy offered by Qatar Airways.

The Week not only showcased the cultural and culinary excellences of Italy but it represented also an occasion to convey a strong message of social inclusion and promotion of diversity.

The Embassy sincerely thanks all the Partners of the event, without whom it would not have been possible to organize the program of activities:

AFFCAD, Al Thuraya Consultancy, Areg Agrofood, Bayimba, CAIU, Capital FM, DiVino, Draco Ug Ltd, Gates International, Gaucho Grill, Katalemwa Cheshire Home, Kazi Food Logistics Ltd, Inspire Africa, Ital Aluminium Ug Ltd, Linove, NBS, Pizza Italia, Sobetra International, Stirling Civil Engineering Ltd.

A special mention to: City Tyres, Equatorial Power, Italian Trade Agency, Leonardo S.p.A., Qatar Airways, Sheraton Kampala Hotel, Stanbic Bank, Youma Builders.

Eventually, the warmest thanks go to Ladri di Carrozzelle and to EnAIP Piemonte for participating with genuine enthusiasm at the activities.

For further information on the Italian Cultural and Culinary Week in Uganda download the brochure.

For further information:

– Album
Opening Ceremony of the Leonardo Opera Omnia exhibition
AFFCAD Day
Wheelchair Thieves concert
Pizza vs Rolex competition
Sheraton Dinner Buffet
Culinary Course – Sheraton Hotel

– Media
Media Links